Reconstitution Practicum in Health Science - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Reconstitution

Practicum in Health Science

Key Definitions

Reconstitute

: to change into liquid form by adding water or other fluid to a powder.

Diluent

: the liquid added to a powder during reconstitution.

Reconstitution Basics

Solids – powders or crystals

Liquids – water or sterile solutions

Necessary for medications which are unstable

Done according to:

Physical properties of drug

Route of administration

Concentration may vary

Reconstitution Solids

and Diluents

Solids

Single or

multidose

containers

Diluents

Oral medications – distilled water only

Injectable medications – sterile solutions that vary with the drugMix-O-VialDiluent packaged with drug (ex. Immunizations)

Reconstitution at

Different Strengths

Single-strength, single-dose

Use

diluent

amount on label

Multidose

Use label to adjust the

diluent amountChoose amount closest to achieving physician’s ordered strength

Reconstitution for Different Administration Routes

Intramuscular and intravenous medications can differ

Intramuscular drugs may require a variety of diluents – especially if injection is long-acting

Some medications can only be administered by one route

Some medications with interchangeable routes require different amounts of diluents

Equipment needed for Reconstitution

Graduated cylinder

or similar product

Reconstitube

® - a modified graduated cylinder with two tubes attached. The upper tube connects the cylinder to a supply of water or other liquid, and the lower tube, which is open ended, enters the medication bottle.

Reconstitution Procedure

Tap the container to loosen the solid in the container

Read all directions on the medication label

Use the manufacturer-designated

diluent

in the amount needed to achieve the physician-ordered medication concentration.

**TIP ** Only add one-third portion of the

diluent

to the medication bottle at first, allowing the powder to dissolve gradually into the diluent. If you add all liquid at once, medication powder will likely stick to the bottom of the medication bottle and resist dilution. Following reconstitution, container is ready for the attachment of the prescription label. Don’t forget to affix any appropriate auxiliary labels.

Original Product Package Label Sample: for reconstitution to liquid

Check for

Understanding

1.

If

a Reconstitube® is unavailable, what other compounding equipment would be appropriate to use for measuring the diluent?

a. Mortar

& pestle

c. Graduated cylinder

b. Amber bottle d. Oral syringeReferring to the previous sample label, once the diluent has been added to the powder medication, what is the final concentration in milligrams per milliliter? a. 25 mg/ml c. 100 mg/ml

b. 50 mg/ml d. 250 mg/ml

Check for understanding

Based on the concentration that was determined in question 2, how much of this medication would be needed for a 125 mg dose?

a. 2 ml c. 5 ml

b. 3 ml d. 10 ml

If the physician orders “Augmentin 125 mg po

qid

,” how much of this solution would be needed for a 24-hour period?

a. 5 ml c. 15 ml

b. 10 ml d. 20 ml

Sources

McCartney, L. & Sparks, J. Pharmacy Labs for Technicians: Building Skills in Pharmacy Practice.

EMC Publishing, LLC. 2010.

University of Florida College of Pharmacy:

www.cop.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/dept/ce/pharm_tech/slidehandouts/dosagecalc.pdf