Intravenous line (IV). Whether or not continuous IV fluids are ordered, most hospital patients will at least have a “saline lock” or “heparin lock,” basically an IV with a stopper that nothing is flowing into at the moment. The part of it that remains in your vein is not a stiff needle, but a flexible plastic catheter, so it cannot cut you after it has been placed. The rationale behind having it is that if an emergency should occur and you need medication, IV access is readily available so that no time is lost. While pills must go through your stomach and be slowly absorbed, IV drugs take effect immediately. Your IV will probably be changed every few days, depending on the policy of your hospital. It will also be flushed according to policy, which means that a nurse will push in a water solution to make sure that it stays open and functional.
Consults. Your primary care doctor may have requested that some specialists come to see you about your particular problem.
Medications. Your doctor may order that your home medications be continued, which is why having a list of them is so important. On the other hand, he may want to put you on a completely different regimen. Though you might be quite satisfied with your home medications, you must remember that they may change during your hospital stay. You might take some medications through your IV in the hospital that you took as pills at home. You may go home with orders to stay on the previous medications, or to change to new ones. If you are concerned about this, discuss it with your doctor. Hospital medication times are scheduled by the pharmacy. If you are not happy with the schedule, you may be able to change it by talking to your nurse.