What it means
Nurses say "drip" for a medicine that runs continuously into a vein, such as a heparin drip or an insulin drip, often adjusted to lab results or vital signs. The word comes from the drops that fall in the drip chamber of IV tubing. The drip rate is the number of drops per minute (gtt/min) when fluid runs by gravity.
For the nurse
Check the drug, concentration, rate and pump settings at every handoff and whenever you change the rate, and follow the titration order exactly. Many drips are high-alert drugs that need an independent double check.
In a chart
"Heparin drip at 18 units/kg/hr; next aPTT due at 1400."
At a glance
| Also written | drips |
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Related terms
IV
Intravenous: into a vein, or the tube placed in a vein to give fluids and drugs.
infusion
The slow delivery of a fluid or drug into the body, usually into a vein, over a period of time.
bolus
A single amount of a drug or fluid given all at once or over a short time.
infusion pump
A machine that delivers IV fluid or medicine into the body at a set rate and amount.