Eli5: why does an IV drop into that capsule that’s half full of iv and half air?

Question

Eli5: why does an IV drop into that capsule that’s half full of iv and half air?

In: 1726

Answer 1

We need to see the drops to know the line is flowing. Sometimes we use the drops to determine the rate of flow.

In a standard line, 15 drops is one milliliter. In a microdripper line, 60 drops is one milliliter.

If I have a drug (say phenylephrine diluted to 40 micrograms per milliliter) running on a microdripper line, and I see one drop per second, I can calculate and document the rate of drug delivery as 40 mcg/min.

A pump is a better solution, but it is not always available.