Preparing Drugs for Infusion Via Syringe Pump: A Key Step to Ensure Homogeneous Concentration.

Objective: Preparation of drug solutions used with electronic syringe infusion pumps plays a crucial role in the delivery of an accurate drug concentration. Is there a correlation between drug concentrations during syringe pump infusion and preparation protocols?

Method: Norepinephrine, insulin, and sufentanil were prepared in 3 different ways: (1) the drug was taken from the vial, then the solvent was added followed by an air bubble, and mixing was performed by turning the syringe top-to-bottom in a 180° shaking movement 5 consecutive times; (2) the drug was taken from the vial, then the solvent was added and not mixed; and (3) the solvent was taken from a stock solution, then the drug was added and not mixed. Concentrations of drugs were determined at different times during administration by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection.