Authors’ Response

Thank you very much for your response to our article, “Flow Accuracy of IV Smart Pumps Outside of Patient Rooms During COVID-19.”¹  The issues you have observed in the clinical setting with the use of extended intravenous (IV) tubing when IV smart pumps (IVSPs) are relocated outside of patient rooms are consistent with what we know about fluid dynamics. As practicing intensive care unit (ICU) nurses, we have experienced firsthand the frustration that comes with a delayed pharmacotherapeutic effect in a critically ill patient. We have also seen the consequences of up-titrating a medication too aggressively because of a delayed response, only to find that we had inadvertently exceeded the intended target. In both of these clinical scenarios, our current IV infusion practices can unknowingly put the patient’s safety at risk, which is one of the reasons we are so passionate about this work and appreciate your interest.

As...