IV, drip, or serum?

[atabitaraf]

Hello guys, in one of English classes we had an argument, with a nurse in class, about which type of talk is common among native English speakers when they want to buy or use 'IV, drip, or serum'. When they go to the pharmacy they say, "I want to buy a serum" or "Please give me an IV/drip", or what?. In my country Iran, we generally refer to the container of serum and we order serum, then the shopkeeper or the pharmacist give us the pack of all the container, pipes, drip, etc. How about in the UK or the US, what do they generally refer to first?

 

[Rover_KE]

As far as I know, the general public in the UK can't buy IV drips or serums from a pharmacy.

 

[SoothingDave]

Ditto here. We have to go to some hospital or medical center to get an IV administered.

 

[emsr2d2]

If you're really interested about the professional terminology, you can read more HERE.

 

[Skrej]

Every time I've had one (and I've had quite a few), I've heard the terms 'IV' and 'drip' used interchangeably, because that's the most common delivery method. Technically, it's an infusion. The other method is an injection in the IV line, which is sometimes called a 'push', or if it's just plain saline to clear the line, a 'flush'. It's a 'push' because instead of gravity or a pump feeding the solution, it's administered via syringe which has to be manually pushed with the thumb.

Generally this is only used when they've already started an IV line for the drip (or are anticipating multiple injections over a period of time).. They typically wouldn't start an IV just for a single injection.

The liquid in the bag is either just a '(drug name) solution', or '(drug name) fluid(s)'.

As others have said, it's not something the general public can self-administer or purchase. It's treatment received at some sort of medical facility. However, if I was trying to purchase my own, I suppose I'd ask for a (drug name) IV solution'.

The plastic tubing is a 'line' or 'IV tube'. The adaptor to allow injections is an IV 'port'.

That's about the extent of what I've learned from various hospital stays. I'm usually more concerned with where they're putting it (back of the hand is the worst) and how good the nurse is at finding a vein on the first stick than what all the paraphenalia is called.

 

[atabitaraf]

It's true, we cannot purchase an IV from a pharmacy either. It needs doctor's prescription. But my question was about the common way of talking about having an 'IV', 'drip', or simply as we do, you could say, 'Please, may I ask when my serum is gonna be received here dear nurse?'. When talking about it, we refer to it as 'serum' rather than 'IV' or 'drip'. But I think you refer to the 'IV' part more commonly. This is what I told the nurse in our class.

 

[emsr2d2]

'Please, may I ask when my serum is gonna be received here dear nurse?'.

I can't imagine any scenario in which this would be used. Is it the patient who's asking the question? What do you mean by "received"? As it stands, the patient is asking the nurse when their serum is going to arrive at the hospital/on the ward. That would be an odd question. If the patient is simply asking for a timescale, I'd expect something like "Have you got any idea what time my IV might get started/might finish?"

I can only assume that levels of formality between patients and nurses in Iran are completely different from those in the UK. I wouldn't open a question to anyone with "Please, may I ask ...". I just ask the question. Also, "dear nurse" sounds like something from an 18th-century novel. Interestingly, despite the formal tone of your suggested sentence, you used "gonna"!

 

[atabitaraf]

I can't imagine any scenario in which this would be used. Is it the patient who's asking the question? What do you mean by "received"? As it stands, the patient is asking the nurse when their serum is going to arrive at the hospital/on the ward. That would be an odd question. If the patient is simply asking for a timescale, I'd expect something like "Have you got any idea what time my IV might get started/might finish?"

I can only assume that levels of formality between patients and nurses in Iran are completely different from those in the UK. I wouldn't open a question to anyone with "Please, may I ask ...". I just ask the question. Also, "dear nurse" sounds like something from an 18th-century novel. Interestingly, despite the formal tone of your suggested sentence, you used "gonna"!

Yes, I assumed a conversation between a patient and his nurse while he is asking when the serum/IV is going to be there, at his bed. I got my answer, in Iran we generally call it serum while in the UK you generally see the IV/drip. So, when speaking English, I'd try to do like yours.

 

[emsr2d2]

Yes, I assumed a conversation between a patient and his nurse while he/she is asking when the serum/IV is going to be there, at his/her bed. I've got my answer. In Iran, we generally call it serum while in the UK you generally see call it the IV/drip. So, when speaking English, I'd try to do like yours. use what you've told me in this thread.

It really depends on the rest of the conversation. If a patient had already been told that a delay to their treatment was being caused by the lack of a specific drug, even though all the rest of the equipment was ready, they might say "Have you got any idea when my drug might turn up?" I definitely don't think anyone would call it a serum. The only exception to that would be if what was going through the IV drip was the clear part of blood, which is actually called "serum". People can receive serum and plasma by IV but, as far as I know (and I'm not a doctor!) the most common liquids given by IV are water (in cases of serious dehydration), antibiotics (for serious infections) and therapeutic pharmaceutical drugs.