intravenous therapy Intravenous therapy (abbreviated as IV therapy) is a medical technique that administers fluids, medications and nutrients directly into a person's vein. The intravenous route of administration is commonly used for rehydration or to provide nutri ...

a Y-Set, T-Set and V-Sets are Y, T and V shaped three-way connector sets made of connecting plastic tubes used for delivering intravenous drugs into the body from multiple fluid sources. As Y-Sets are the most common shaped sets, Y-Set is a name that is sometimes used to represent the family of connector sets (sometimes called Y-tubes). The majority of these infusion sets have a left and right hand line that deliver fluid and drugs (often via a valve) to a short common limb attached to the female fitting on the

intravenous cannulae A cannula (; Latin meaning 'little reed'; plural or ) is a tube that can be inserted into the body, often for the delivery or removal of fluid or for the gathering of samples. In simple terms, a cannula can surround the inner or outer surfaces ...

Applications

3-way connectors allow for "piggybacking", that is, putting a second infusion set onto the same line, such as adding a dose of antibiotics to a continuous

volume expander A volume expander is a type of intravenous therapy that has the function of providing volume for the circulatory system. It may be used for fluid replacement or during surgery to prevent nausea and vomiting after surgery. Physiology When blood is ...

drip, with the etymology being to refer to the second infusion as "riding on the back" of the first one. Most 3+ way connectors can be opened to allow an infusion limb and a vertical limb to deliver fluid via a common limb to the female fitting of an IV

cannulae A cannula (; Latin meaning 'little reed'; plural or ) is a tube that can be inserted into the body, often for the delivery or removal of fluid or for the gathering of samples. In simple terms, a cannula can surround the inner or outer surfaces ...

. V shaped fittings allow multiple limbs to flow directly to the patient with no common space. As different tubes for these infusion sets usually have different flow rates and fluid delivered from different tubes, there is a risk that the common space (dead volume) of Y-Sets and T-Sets fills with high concentration drugs and accidentally gets flushed out at a high flow rate.

References

{{Reflist Intravenous fluids Medical equipment Routes of administration