Hostname: page-component-8678677fb7-bbpp6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-10-15T09:28:55.541Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Subcutaneous fluid and drug delivery: safe, efficient and inexpensive

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 June 2015

Oscar Duems-Noriega
Affiliation:
Servicio de Geriatría, Hospital General de Granollers, Granollers, Barcelona, Spain
Sergio Ariño-Blasco*
Affiliation:
Servicio de Geriatría, Hospital General de Granollers, Granollers, Barcelona, Spain
*
Address for correspondence: Dr Sergio Ariño-Blasco, Avda Frances Ribas sn, Granollers 08402, Barcelona, Spain. Email: 19897sab@comb.cat

Summary

Patients with difficult venous access or oral intolerance and clinical situations with inadequate response to oral therapy have generated the need for alternative routes of delivery for drugs and fluids.

The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review examining the evidence for subcutaneous (SC) administration of drugs and/or fluids.

We used a broad search strategy using electronic databases CINAHL, EMBASE, PubMed and Cochrane library, key terms and ‘Medical Subject Headings’ (MeSH) such as ‘subcutaneous route’, ‘hypodermoclysis’ and the name/group of the most used drugs via this route (e.g. ‘ketorolac, morphine, ceftriaxone’, ‘analgesics, opioids, antibiotics’).

We conclude that the SC route is an effective alternative for rehydration in patients with mild–moderate dehydration and offers a number of potential advantages in appropriately selected scenarios. Experience of administering drugs by this route suggests that it is well tolerated and is associated with minimal side-effects.

Information

Type
Review Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable