Steps for Preparing a Mixed Dose of InsulinRolling the bottles gentlyslide 1 of 9 slide 1 of 9, Rolling the bottles gently, Step 1. Roll the insulin bottles
(vials) gently between your hands. Roll the cloudy insulin bottle until all the white powder has dissolved. Rolling the bottle warms the insulin if you have been keeping the bottle
in the refrigerator. The order in which you mix the clear (short or rapid-acting) and cloudy (long-acting) insulin is important. Do
not shake an insulin
bottle. Cleaning the lids of the bottlesslide 2 of 9 slide 2 of 9, Cleaning the lids of the bottles, Step 2. Wipe the rubber lid of
both insulin bottles with an alcohol wipe or a cotton ball dipped in alcohol.
Let the alcohol dry. Note: If you are
using a bottle for the first time, remove the protective cover from the rubber
lid before cleaning. Drawing air into the syringe for the cloudy insulin doseslide 3 of 9 slide 3 of 9, Drawing air into the syringe for the cloudy insulin dose, Step 3. Remove the plastic cap
that covers the needle on your insulin syringe. Important: Do not touch the needle. Step 4. Pull the plunger back on your insulin syringe and draw
air into the syringe equal to the number of units of cloudy insulin to be given. Forcing air into the cloudy insulin bottleslide 4 of 9 slide 4 of 9, Forcing air into the cloudy insulin bottle, Step 5. Push the needle of the
syringe into the rubber lid of the cloudy insulin
bottle. Step 6. Push the plunger of the
syringe to force the air into the bottle. This equalizes the
pressure in the bottle when you later remove the dose of insulin. Step 7. Remove the needle from the
bottle. Drawing air into the syringe for the clear insulin doseslide 5 of 9 slide 5 of 9, Drawing air into the syringe for the clear insulin dose, Step 8. Pull the plunger of the
syringe back and draw air into the syringe equal to the number of units of
clear insulin to be
given. Forcing air into the clear insulin bottleslide 6 of 9 slide 6 of 9, Forcing air into the clear insulin bottle, Step 9. Push the needle of the
syringe into the rubber lid of the clear insulin bottle.
Step 10. Push the plunger to force the air
into the bottle. Leave the needle in place. Note: You will draw the clear insulin into the syringe
first. It is important to follow this order. Drawing clear insulin into the syringeslide 7 of 9 slide 7 of 9, Drawing clear insulin into the syringe, Step 11. Turn the bottle and
syringe upside down. Position the tip of the needle so that it is below the
surface of insulin in the bottle. Step 12.
Pull back the plunger to fill the syringe with slightly more than the correct
number of units of clear insulin to be given. Step 13. Tap the barrel of the syringe so that
trapped air bubbles move into the needle area. Push the air bubbles back into
the bottle. Important: Make sure that you
have the correct number of units of insulin in your syringe. Step 14. Remove the needle from the
clear insulin bottle. Inserting the needle into the cloudy insulin bottleslide 8 of 9 slide 8 of 9, Inserting the needle into the cloudy insulin bottle, Step 15. Insert the needle into
the rubber lid of the cloudy insulin bottle. Important: Do not push the plunger because this
would force clear insulin into your cloudy insulin bottle. If clear insulin is
mixed in the bottle of cloudy, it will alter the action of your other doses
from that bottle. Drawing cloudy insulin into the syringeslide 9 of 9 slide 9 of 9, Drawing cloudy insulin into the syringe, Step 16. Turn the bottle and
syringe upside down. Position the tip of the needle so that it is below the
surface of insulin in the bottle. Step 17.
Slowly pull back the plunger of the syringe to fill the syringe with the
correct number of units of cloudy insulin to be given.
This will prevent air bubbles entering the syringe. Step 18. Remove the needle from the bottle. You should now have the total number of units
for the clear and cloudy insulin
in your syringe. For example, if you need 10 units of clear and 15 units of
cloudy, you should have 25 units in your syringe. Now you are
ready to give the shot. ByHealthwise Staff
Primary Medical ReviewerE. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine
Specialist Medical ReviewerDavid C.W. Lau, MD, PhD, FRCPC - Endocrinology
Rhonda O'Brien, MS, RD, CDE - Certified Diabetes Educator Current as ofMarch 13, 2017 Current as of:
March 13, 2017 Author:
Healthwise Staff Medical Review:
E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine & David C.W. Lau, MD, PhD, FRCPC - Endocrinology & Rhonda O'Brien, MS, RD, CDE - Certified Diabetes Educator |
|