How to Change an IV Bottle?

Changing an IV bottle involves a quick and careful process to maintain the flow of medication or fluids. Here's how it's done:

1. Prepare the New Bottle: Open the new IV solution container, ensuring it's the correct fluid and concentration as prescribed.

2. Remove the Spike from the Old Bottle:

   • Quickly remove the spike from the old, empty IV solution container.
   • Important: Avoid touching the tip of the spike to prevent contamination, as stated in the reference: "Quickly remove the spike from the old solution container and, without touching the tip, insert the spike into the new container."

3. Insert the Spike into the New Bottle:

   • Immediately insert the spike into the new IV solution container, maintaining sterility.

4. Hang the New Bottle: Hang the newly spiked IV solution container on the IV pole.

5. Check and Clear the Tubing:

   • Examine the IV tubing for any air bubbles.
   • To remove air bubbles, stretch the tubing downward and tap it with your finger until the bubbles disappear. The reference reminds us to "check for air in the tubing. Remove any bubbles in the tubing by stretching the tubing downward, and tapping the tubing with a finger."