Filter Needles & Vitamin-K IM injections

Specialties NICU

Published

Specializes in Level II & III NICU, Mother-Baby Unit.

Just curious, when preparing to give the first dose of vitamin K to a newborn as an IM injection, do you use a filter needle to draw up vitamin K from the glass ampule and then remove the filter needle from the syringe and replace it with the proper size needle before injecting the medication?

Just a "yes" or "no" answer would be appreciated.

I always do use a filter needle but some of my co-workers do not; I was just wondering about other NICU nurses and how they approach this situation.

Thanks in advance for answering!

Specializes in NICU.

I alway filter-doesn't seem safe not to...

Does your hospital have a policy written up regarding Vit K?

Specializes in NICU.

Yes, we always use a filter needle to draw up anything from an ampule. Then replace the filter needle with the correct needle we will use for the injection.

Specializes in NICU.

Yes, always!

Specializes in nicu.

Always use a filer needle.

Specializes in Neonatal ICU (Cardiothoracic).

Yes. Always use a filter needle when drawing any kind of med out of an ampule. Our phytonadione always comes in a prefilled bristojet, so we just attach a needle and harpoon.

Specializes in NICU, CVICU.

Yes, we always use a filter needle in my NICU.

Specializes in nursery, L and D.

Not at the hospital I am leaving, it never has been suggested we do so, and if someone did I am pretty sure it would be shot down due to cost. On the pos side, in 31 years they never have had an adverse outcome to this, but ya know it only takes one.

Specializes in Level 3 NICU 17 yrs, Neo transport 13 yr.

Yes, always a filter needle.

Specializes in NICU, Telephone Triage.
Just curious, when preparing to give the first dose of vitamin K to a newborn as an IM injection, do you use a filter needle to draw up vitamin K from the glass ampule and then remove the filter needle from the syringe and replace it with the proper size needle before injecting the medication?

Just a "yes" or "no" answer would be appreciated.

I always do use a filter needle but some of my co-workers do not; I was just wondering about other NICU nurses and how they approach this situation.

Thanks in advance for answering!

Yes, you should be using a filter needle with any glass ampules. Then we change it to the appropriate size regular needle.

Specializes in Level II & III NICU, Mother-Baby Unit.

Thank you all for your responses!! I really appreciate your input as I believed that whether we are injecting medication obtained from a glass ampule into a vein or a muscle, it should be drawn up using a filter needle first. Your responses are comforting and it gives me more confidence to encourage my coworkers to use these needles also.

Thanks again!

Yes, I always use a filter needle to draw the vit. k, and switch back to the other needle.

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