On-call scenario 1: Introduction

"Hello. It’s one of the midwives on the antenatal unit. I have a patient with a magnesium infusion running but she needs a dose of cefuroxime and metronidazole too. Can they all go down the same line?"
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Patient: Michelle Cox, hospital no. 1414777.
Medicines: Magnesium sulphate 20% intravenous infusion running at 1 gram (5ml) per hour. Total volume of infusion 50ml as per your Trust's protocol. No known drug allergies.
Clinical problem: Patient has eclampsia and is having an emergency caesarean section this evening. She has been prescribed intravenous cefuroxime 1.5 grams and metronidazole 500mg to be given at anaesthetic induction. A midwife has already added the dose of cefuroxime to the 100ml metronidazole infusion bag. Patient is difficult to cannulate but has a single lumen peripheral line.
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