The Dial-A-Flo

For some patients, a Dial-A-Flo will allow nursing staff to ensure that the proper drip rate is being achieved. In general, this dial will allow you to adjust the rate of flow from anywhere between 5ml – 250ml per hour.

The application of a Dial-A-Flo will require that you have a heparin lock and saline syringe ready to go. Begin by taking the heparin syringe prepared in advance. You will then be ready to connect the IV tubing to the Dial-A-Flo machine.

This is done by taking the Dial-A-Flo tubing and connecting it to the clear flat cap that can be found at the end of the IV tubing. You should remove the clear cap and twist it on. At this time, the flow should be set to off. Now, take the IV bag and remove the white tab. You can then remove the spike cover that will part of the tubing, ensuring you don’t make contact with the IV.

Now, take the spike, and place it into the bag’s port by twisting and pushing it into it. This can now be attached to the pole. Squeeze the drip chamber and release until the fluid line has been reached. Now, you can switch the Dial-A-Flo to the open position and allow the tubing to begin filling with the fluid, when it reaches the end, switch it back to the off position. You can now remove the clear cap from the IV tubing. Touching only the wings of the blunt cannula, you can remove it from the package and connect it with a twisting motion.

At this point, you would follow the directions of the medication that you will be giving to the patient to ensure that is has proper delivery at all times. Keeping in mind of course that the Dial-A-Flo may need different connections and settings based on the tubing that you are using. Because of that, you should continue to monitor the requirements that are in place per the issuing company.

This will be a powerful tool when you are delivering medications intravenously. Because of that, it is vital that the nursing staff that will be using it is trained on how to operate it successfully. This includes how to properly calibrate the unit. Just like any other device, there is still a margin of error that needs to be checked. Tubing and flow will all have an impact on its success. A good formula for doing this will be to monitor the number of drops per minute that the mechanism is allowing for. Divide this number by 12 and verify that is the number you have every 5 seconds, or you can divide it by 4 for 15 second counts.

Ensuring the proper delivery of medication will be important for the safety and the wellbeing of the patient.