Introduction to Reconstitution

Vocabulary

Normal Saline (NS) – A sterile solution containing 0.9% sodium chloride (salt) in water

Sterile Water (SW) – A purified liquid used for reconstitution

Vial – The container holding the powdered medication

Concentration or Final Concentration – The strength of the reconstituted solution, often expressed in milligrams per milliliter (mg/mL)

Dilution – Adding additional liquid (usually normal saline) to achieve the desired concentration

Intramuscular (IM) – The route of medication administration where the drug is injected directly into a muscle

Reconstitution Conversions

Reconstituting medication is a common task for nurses when dealing with powdered or concentrated forms of drugs.  Reconstitution is necessary when a medication is in a powdered form and needs to be mixed with a specific amount of liquid (usually sterile water or saline) to create a usable solution.

1. Determine What Information is Needed From Problem.

You need to know:

• • Order
  • Final concentration

2. Dimensional Analysis Review

Using dimensional analysis, you will be able to solve the following problem, where you will be determining how many mL you will give the patient.

Rule 1. Set up the problem. What units will your answer have?

[latex]\frac{unit}{1} -or- \frac{unit}{unit}[/latex]

Rule 2. Work the problem until the unit(s) on one side match the units on the other.

Rule 3. Do your units MATCH?

Rule 4. Solve by multiplying all the top numbers and write the answer in the numerator, and then multiply all the bottom numbers and write the answer in the denominator.

[latex]\dfrac{numerator}{denominator}[/latex] = Dive the top by the bottom

Rule 5. Write the number to four (4) decimals and then round and write your units appropriately.

3. Conversion Steps

Reconstitution Conversions Video Tutorial^[1]