• Do not use after date of expiry printed on the bag
• Do not use unless the solution is clear and the container undamaged
• Confirm additive compatibility before use
• Discard any unused solution
• Infusion rate should be sufficiently slow to allow detection of osmotic diuresis - Glucose infusions are incompatible with blood for transfusion as haemolysis and clumping may occur; do not administer through the same infusion equipment as blood or blood components for transfusion (either before, during or after their administration).
• If more than 180g glucose is given per day (equivalent to 1.8 litres) frequent monitoring of blood glucose is required and insulin may be necessary.
• Prior to and during infusion serum and/or urinary electrolytes and glucose should be monitored to assess the nature and severity of fluid depletion and electrolyte imbalance. Close monitoring of patients with diabetes mellitus, and in patients with renal failure, is necessary during glucose infusion.
• Use with caution in severe malnutrition (when glucose infusion can cause sodium retention, oedema and heart failure), and in thiamine deficiency. In patients with hepatic failure, excessive glucose infusion may be detrimental in portasystemic encephalopathy.
• Glucose intravenous infusions are usually isotonic solutions. In the body, however, glucose containing fluids can become extremely physiologically hypotonic due to rapid glucose metabolization (see section 4.2).
Depending on the tonicity of the solution, the volume and rate of infusion and depending on a patient's underlying clinical condition and capability to metabolize glucose, intravenous administration of glucose can cause electrolyte disturbances most importantly hypo- or hyperosmotic hyponatraemia.
Hyponatraemia:
Patients with non-osmotic vasopressin release (e.g. in acute illness, pain, post-operative stress, infections, burns, and CNS diseases), patients with heart-, liver- and kidney diseases and patients exposed to vasopressin agonists (see section 4.5) are at particular risk of acute hyponatraemia upon infusion of hypotonic fluids.
Acute hyponatraemia can lead to acute hyponatraemic encephalopathy (brain oedema) characterized by headache, nausea, seizures, lethargy and vomiting. Patients with brain oedema are at particular risk of severe, irreversible and life-threatening brain injury. Children, women in the fertile age and patients with reduced cerebral compliance (e.g. meningitis, intracranial bleeding, and cerebral contusion) are at particular risk of the severe and life-threatening brain swelling caused by acute hyponatraemia.