Reference
Common EMS drips
Common critical care transport drips in one table: brand names, usual starting doses and units, with 46 drip cards that each convert dose to mL/h.
Vasopressors and inotropes
| Drug | Brand | Usual start | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norepinephrine | Levophed | 2–12 mcg/min (about 0.02–0.15 mcg/kg/min) | mcg/min, mcg/kg/min |
| Epinephrine | Adrenalin | 0.02–0.05 mcg/kg/min (1–4 mcg/min) | mcg/kg/min, mcg/min |
| Vasopressin | Vasostrict | 0.03 units/min, usually fixed (some start at 0.01) | units/min |
| Phenylephrine | Neo-Synephrine | 10–35 mcg/min | mcg/min, mcg/kg/min |
| Dopamine | Intropin | 2–5 mcg/kg/min; symptomatic bradycardia 5–20 | mcg/kg/min |
| Dobutamine | Dobutrex | 2–5 mcg/kg/min (label starts 0.5–1) | mcg/kg/min |
| Milrinone | Primacor | 0.125–0.375 mcg/kg/min; the 50 mcg/kg load is often skipped (hypotension) | mcg/kg/min |
| Angiotensin II | Giapreza | 20 ng/kg/min | ng/kg/min |
| Isoproterenol | Isuprel | 2 mcg/min | mcg/min |
Blood pressure and rate control
| Drug | Brand | Usual start | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicardipine | Cardene | 5 mg/h | mg/h |
| Clevidipine | Cleviprex | 1–2 mg/h | mg/h |
| Esmolol | Brevibloc | Load 500 mcg/kg over 1 minute, then 50 mcg/kg/min | mcg/kg/min |
| Labetalol | Trandate | 0.5–2 mg/min, or 20 mg IV push then 20–80 mg every 10 minutes | mg/min, mg/h |
| Nitroglycerin | Tridil | 5–10 mcg/min. Flash pulmonary edema with SBP 160 or more (SCAPE): high dose, starting at 100 mcg/min with NIV (CAEP 2025) | mcg/min |
| Nitroprusside | Nipride | 0.3–0.5 mcg/kg/min | mcg/kg/min |
Sedation, analgesia and paralysis
| Drug | Brand | Usual start | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Propofol | Diprivan | 5 mcg/kg/min (0.3 mg/kg/h) | mcg/kg/min, mg/kg/h |
| Dexmedetomidine | Precedex | 0.2–0.7 mcg/kg/h; the loading dose is often skipped | mcg/kg/h |
| Midazolam | Versed | 1–2 mg/h (0.02–0.1 mg/kg/h) | mg/h, mg/kg/h |
| Fentanyl | Sublimaze | 25–50 mcg/h (range 0.7–10 mcg/kg/h) | mcg/h, mcg/kg/h |
| Cisatracurium | Nimbex | 1–3 mcg/kg/min after a 0.15–0.2 mg/kg bolus | mcg/kg/min |
| Ketamine | Ketalar | Analgesia 0.1–0.3 mg/kg/h (sub-dissociative); sedation 0.5–2 mg/kg/h | mg/kg/h |
| Hydromorphone | Dilaudid | 0.5–1 mg/h (PADIS range 0.5–3 mg/h) | mg/h |
| Rocuronium | Zemuron | 8–12 mcg/kg/min after an intubating dose | mcg/kg/min |
| Vecuronium | 0.8–1.2 mcg/kg/min after a 0.1 mg/kg bolus | mcg/kg/min | |
| Pentobarbital | Nembutal | Refractory ICP (Eisenberg regimen): 10 mg/kg over 30 minutes, then 5 mg/kg/h for 3 hours, then 1 mg/kg/h. Refractory status epilepticus: load 5–15 mg/kg (5–10 more if needed), then 0.5–5 mg/kg/h (NCS 2012). Load no faster than 50 mg/min | mg/kg/h |
| Remifentanil | Ultiva | ICU analgesia-sedation (EU label): 0.1–0.15 mcg/kg/min, no bolus. After surgery, under anesthesia supervision (US label): 0.1 mcg/kg/min. Obesity: dose by ideal body weight | mcg/kg/min, mcg/kg/h |
Anticoagulation, endocrine and GI
| Drug | Brand | Usual start | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heparin | VTE: 80 units/kg bolus, then 18 units/kg/h. ACS: 60 units/kg bolus (max 4,000), then 12 units/kg/h (max 1,000 units/h) | units/kg/h, units/h | |
| Insulin (regular) | Humulin R | DKA: 0.1 units/kg/h once K is above 3.5 (2024 consensus; older sources 3.3, or 0.14 with no bolus); bolus 0.1 units/kg only if IV access is delayed. ICU hyperglycemia: per protocol, target 140–180 | units/h, units/kg/h |
| Amiodarone | Nexterone | 150 mg over 10 minutes, then 1 mg/min for 6 hours | mg/min |
| Diltiazem | Cardizem | 0.25 mg/kg over 2 minutes, then 5–10 mg/h | mg/h |
| Octreotide | Sandostatin | 50 mcg bolus, then 50 mcg/h | mcg/h |
| Pantoprazole | Protonix | 80 mg bolus, then 8 mg/h for 72 hours after endoscopy for a high-risk ulcer | mg/h |
| Furosemide | Lasix | Bolus, then 10–20 mg/h | mg/h |
| Argatroban | 2 mcg/kg/min; 0.5 mcg/kg/min with moderate or severe liver impairment (label); 0.5–1.2 with heart failure, multiorgan failure or after cardiac surgery (ACCP 2012) | mcg/kg/min | |
| Bivalirudin | Angiomax | HIT: 0.15 mg/kg/h, lower in kidney failure (no bolus). PCI: 0.75 mg/kg bolus, then 1.75 mg/kg/h | mg/kg/h |
| Procainamide | Pronestyl | Load 20–50 mg/min until the arrhythmia stops, hypotension, QRS widens by over 50%, or 17 mg/kg is given | mg/min |
| Lidocaine | Xylocaine | After a 1–1.5 mg/kg bolus, 1–4 mg/min | mg/min |
| Magnesium sulfate | MgSO4 | Severe preeclampsia or eclampsia: 4–6 g over 15–20 minutes, then 1–2 g/h | g/h |
| Naloxone | Narcan | Two-thirds of the bolus dose that restored breathing, per hour | mg/h |
| Eptifibatide | Integrilin | 180 mcg/kg IV bolus from the 2 mg/mL vial, then 2 mcg/kg/min; PCI adds a second 180 mcg/kg bolus 10 minutes after the first. CrCl under 50 mL/min (Cockcroft-Gault): same bolus, then 1 mcg/kg/min | mcg/kg/min |
| Bumetanide | Bumex | 1 mg IV over 1–2 minutes, then 0.5 mg/h (CrCl over 75), 0.5–1 mg/h (CrCl 25–75) or 1–2 mg/h (CrCl under 25) (Brater 1998) | mg/h |
Pulmonary, obstetric and electrolyte infusions
| Drug | Brand | Usual start | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sodium bicarbonate | NaHCO3 | Sodium channel blocker toxicity (TCA, QRS 100 ms or more): 50–150 mEq (1–2 mEq/kg) of 8.4% IV push, repeated until the QRS narrows, then an infusion if needed (AHA 2023). Salicylates: bolus, then the 150 mEq/L bag at 1.5–2 times maintenance. Hyperkalemia with acidosis: an add-on only | mEq/h |
| Hypertonic saline 3% | Hyponatremia with severe symptoms: 150 mL over 20 minutes, repeated up to twice until Na rises 5 (Europe 2014; US panel 2013: 100 mL over 10 minutes); slow infusion 0.5–1 mL/kg/h (SALSA). Raised ICP: 250 mL or 2.5–5 mL/kg (ENLS), usually over 10–20 minutes; infusions to a sodium goal per protocol | mL/kg/h, mL/h | |
| Oxytocin | Pitocin | Induction, low dose (ACOG): 0.5–2 milliunits/min (label 0.5–1). Postpartum hemorrhage: 10–40 units in 500–1,000 mL, run to keep the uterus firm, or 10 units IM (ACOG). Cesarean (2019 consensus): 1 unit (3 in labor) IV over at least 30 seconds, then 2.5–7.5 units/h (7.5–15 in labor) | milliunits/min, units/h |
| Terbutaline | Brethine | Severe asthma when inhaled drug cannot get in: 0.25 mg SC in the lateral deltoid, once more in 15–30 minutes, max 0.5 mg in 4 hours (label; EPR-3 allows every 20 minutes × 3). IV infusion (off-label in the US, not routine in adults): 1.5–5 mcg/min (UK label) | mcg/min |
| Epoprostenol (inhaled) | Flolan | 50 ng/kg/min by ideal (predicted) body weight, by continuous vibrating mesh nebulization (range 10–50). At 30,000 ng/mL that is 0.1 mL/h per kg (Li 2021). Fixed-rate setups hold about 8 mL/h with a weight-matched concentration (375 ng/mL per kg: 26,250 ng/mL for 70 kg; Siobal 2003) | ng/kg/min |
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For education and exam preparation only. Follow your institution’s protocols. Study aid: check every dose against your local protocols and medical direction, the bag label and your pump.