Eli5: why does an IV drop into that capsule that’s half full of iv and half air?
In: 1726
TL;DR from my training:
To see *that* it flows, and to be able to check and adjust *how fast* it flows.
I have a follow up question; if I may…-
Why is that capsule that is half full of IV and half full of air ALWAYS half full until the bag is finished??
To explain:
If I stop the flow by interrupting the line BELOW the chamber, by accidentally sitting on it, twisting it etc. then the chamber stays half full, and the bag above stops dripping into the chamber, right?
WHY doesn’t the chamber just fill up with the IV fluid? There’s a blockage downstream after all…?
(I’ve just started having therapy needing regular day long IVs in clinic)
So you can make sure it is flowing. Also for setting flow rate if no power or machines are down.
The purpose of that chamber used to be to determine flow rates. We used pumps now but the units were in drops per minute.
https://www.mometrix.com/academy/calculations-of-drip-rates/
The capsule thing is called the drip chamber. Different medications are administered at different rates. The rate at which the medication is dripping is called the “Drip rate”. The drip rate is controlled by the roller clamp.
I know this because Tyler knows this.
It’s a drip chamber. It exists for a few reasons:
It prevents air bubbles from traveling down the IV tubing. With an IV pump in place, this is the drip chamber’s primary use.
It confirms patency of the IV circuit absent the presence of an IV pump. Patency is a term used in medicine to refer to the openness of a structure through which fluids flow. Or rather, whether or not fluids can flow through a structure. A patent structure will permit fluid transmission whereas a non-patent structure will not.
It provides a rough idea of the flow rate of the fluids flowing through the IV when an IV pump is not being used
Source: 15 years in critical care, ICU, OR, Cath Lab
Man that’s such a good question for this sub. I don’t know the answer but I love the question.
It’s an drip chamber but functions like an air trap. It also occasionally will have a filter inside.
Does a couple of things:
1. prevents air from entering the circuit as it generally to the top of the circuit.
2. Allows you to visualise the flow through the tube circuit. The speed of the dripping is an indicator
3. If it has a filter basket, can filter out contaminants in IV fluid
Man the best way to learn this one is to try priming an IV set without filling the drip chamber with fluid first. Welcome to the wonder world of 10,000 bubbles
The amount of fluid in a “drop” is relatively precise. (Given a known fluid with its known viscosity. When gravity overcomes the tendency of the fluid to stick to itself, it drops.) So, with the addition of a clock, you can get a good measurement of the flow rate, with or without electricity. (And obviously you can tell if the flow rate is 0, pretty darn quick.)
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