Question

A nurse is caring for a client who is receiving total parenteral nutrition. A new bag is not available when the current infusion is nearly completed. Which of the following actions should the nurse take?

a. Keep the line open with 0.9% sodium chloride until the new bag arrives.
b. Administer dextrose 10% in water until the new bag arrives.
c. Flush the line and cap the port until the new bag arrives.
d. Decrease the infusion rate until the new bag arrives.

Answer 1

When a total parenteral nutrition infusion is nearly finished and no new bag is available, the nurse should keep the line open with 0.9% sodium chloride until a new bag arrives to maintain the integrity of the vascular access device.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a nurse is caring for a client who is receiving total parenteral nutrition and the current infusion is almost completed with no new bag readily available, the recommended action to take would be to keep the line open with 0.9% sodium chloride until the new bag arrives. This option is preferred as it provides a non-dextrose solution that maintains the integrity of the vascular access device until the total parenteral nutrition can be resumed, minimizing the risk of complications such as hypoglycemia that may occur if the infusion were to be stopped abruptly or if a solution with a different concentration were used.