During the 1970 to 1971 nationwide epidemic of septicemias caused by Enterobacter cloacae and Enterobacter agglomerans traced to intrinsic contamination of Abbott intravenous infusion products, 94 infusion systems manufactured by Baxter Laboratories were studied microbiologically and epidemiologically during hospital use. Intravenous fluid from 10 systems (11%) contained microorganisms, usually...

Continuous intravenous insulin and dextrose infusions were used in managing various diabetic emergencies. Standard and constant rates of insulin and dextrose infusion resulted in satisfactory control of blood glucose concentrations during labour, after major surgery, and in patients recovering from ketoacidosis (average insulin infusion rates 1, 2, and 3 U/h respectively). Higher infusion rates...

Carol A. Keohane is Project Director for the Center of Excellence for Patient Safety Research and Practice at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Mass. The Center’s efforts are aimed at improving medication safety across clinical settings. Judy Hayes is the Director of Professional Practice Quality and Staff Development at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Ms Hayes is considered a leader in imple...

Adenosine is used routinely in cardiac perfusion imaging in lieu of exercise stress to enhance coronary blood flow. Since it is a potent drug, intravenous (IV) infusion of adenosine must be carefully controlled to provide optimal pharmacologic effect and minimal adverse effects. There has been particular concern about a sudden increase in adenosine delivery at the time of radiotracer administra...

Previous reports have described a distinctive pattern of phosphorus excretion (after rapid calcium infusion) in sarcoidosis. The author performed similar studies on eight patients with sarcoidosis and five patients with other pathologic processes. A "sarcoid pattern* was noted in only one patient with sarcoidosis and in two patients with tuberculosis. It can be stated that the rapid calcium inf...

The pharmacokinetics of aztreonam, a monocyclic beta-lactam which inhibits most members of the family Enterobacteriaceae at concentrations of less than 1 microgram/ml and most Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates at concentrations of less than 16 micrograms/ml, were examined in healthy male volunteers after 30-min intravenous infusions of 0.5, 1, and 2 g of the drug. Mean peak levels of the drug in ...

Using two-dimensional echocardiography, pulmonary vascular resistance was estimated from right ventricular pre-ejection period to ejection time (RVPEP/ET) in 11 preterm infants with respiratory distress, to test the effect of different doses of continuous lipid infusion. Echocardiography was performed at baseline with no lipid infusing 2 and 24 hours after 1.5 and 3 g/kg/day of intravenous lipi...

Context: FOLFOX6 and FOLFIRI regimens are often selected as the firstor secondline treatment for advanced or recurrent colorectal cancer. Patients are now able to undergo at-home treatment by using a portable disposable infusion pump (SUREFUSER(®)A) for continuous intravenous infusion of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). The duration of continuous 5-FU infusion is normally set at an average of 46 h, but l...