Filter needles for glass vials?

Nurses Medications

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Does your facility have/use filter needles for meds in glass vials? We were taught to use them in school, but I've never actually seen them on any floor I've been on, so I just do without.

Specializes in Med-Surg, Cardiac.

We have lots of filter needles on our floor. Not too many glass vials though.

Specializes in Home Health.

Used them long ago for glass or plastic vials to filter any possible impurities.

Specializes in Acute Care Cardiac, Education, Prof Practice.

Always had them, always used them.

Specializes in Spinal Cord injuries, Emergency+EMS.

minor point of terminology

vials shouldn't need filter needles, ampoules might ... if your concern is material breaking off as you snap the ampoule open and it falling into the drug inside

Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

Always. Fentanyl and Nubain come in the ampules.

Specializes in Psychiatry, ICU, ER.

I would never administer a med out of a glass vial that wasn't drawn up with a filter needle. Never.

Specializes in Spinal Cord injuries, Emergency+EMS.
I would never administer a med out of a glass vial that wasn't drawn up with a filter needle. Never.

what is your rationale never to administer a medication out of a vial that wasn't drawn up with a filter needle ...

if a vial's content has glass in it you wouldn't be using the damaged vial would you ?

how does filter needle protect you or your patient in piercing the rubber bung of a vial ?

if you had said it about an ampoule ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ampoule ) it's understandable but probably over cautious...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vial

Specializes in Gen Med.

Yes, I have used filter needles multiples times over the course of my career. Medications that I am fond of pulling up with a filter needle are phenergan, Thorazine and dilaudid.

Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

I used filter needles until we got filter straws--even better! http://www.planetrx.com/p/b-braun_filter-straw-5-micron-100-ea/176892.html?utm_source=frg&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=product&zmam=1000941&zmas=26&zmac=106&zmap=176892

Is there some confusion here between glass ampules and glass vials?

The only time I ever used a filter for vials was on certain drugs that can crystallize in solution and the rare cases of coring the stopper an irreplaceable drug. (working in pharmacy)

You need filters for amps because when you break then micro fine pieces fly everywhere.

As part of my training to compound cardio drugs and blocks we had a demo about glass particles. They used a certain type of lens to record us breaking them and then played it back and I was shocked to see what had looked like a clean break released a fine cloud of glass in addition to the pieces you see. We then had to pull up the fluid and look at it under a microscope. There was a huge amount of suspended glass in the solution.

Specializes in CCU MICU Rapid Response.

We have filter needles too, and as someone else posted- filter straws.... Love those things. I would never give anything from an ampule without a filter needle. Ivanna

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