Ampules still being used, Ouch!

[NurseyPoo]

I have opened several of these little stinkers and hate it every time. I use a 2x2 and have always broken the top away from me. Well, I opened a defective one last night! The top came off and broke in a strange way. The bottom portion still had a large triangular shaped piece attached and Yep, SLICE! I sliced my thumb pretty bad. A nice slice from the center of my Thumb pad to under the thumb nail. I was bleeding like a stuck pig! It did not hurt but it bled for quite a while. One of the nurses I work with put a steri-strip on it. We then proceeded to wrap it to with-in an inch of its life. I woke up today because my poor finger was throbbing. It is a little swollen today but OUCH! It really hurts.

Why do we still have to use these antiquated little forms of medication. Hasn'ttechnology advanced enough to place these meds in a normal vial with a rubber stopper that can be pushed inside?

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

I love this "New Skin"!!! We are using it on stage 1and2 pressure ulcers in HH and it is the most effective I have seen. I use it on my boys for everything, They would rather have it than a band-aid!

ow ow ow, it stings on me! Can't imagine that on a stage II!

[Indy, LPN, LVN]

Digoxin, nubain, demadex, and narcan are what I've seen in ampules on my floor. I'm sure there are more but that's all that comes to mind. I've got a mind to buy that little opener doololly and keep it in my purse.

[sister--*]

In addition to what's been mentioned we also have had ampules of Semivanstantin (sp?). An intestinal hormone.

Those nasty little ampules would pop their tops okay, but the body of the ampule would shatter in your fingers! Only the label kept the glass from flying all over!

We trialed a safety device that covered only the top of the ampule. It had nothing to hold the top in place once the neck broke so it would "shoot" across the room. In addition there was no "cozy" to protect the nurse from the shattered body of the ampule.

I think we had three injuries from this in one week....ouch!

[CritterLover, BSN, RN]

i think that meds stored in ampules, rather than vials, have a longer shelf life (don't expire as quickly).

the picc kits i use have 2, 10cc amps of saline and 1, 5 cc amp of lidocaine. when i asked why they came in glass amps rather than something less hazardous, i was told it was to keep the kit from expiring too soon. i have cut myself once, and it was the 3 cc amp of lido that did it. i haven't had a problem with the 10 cc amps of ns.

i see the following meds in ampules: dig, nubain, epi, narcan, vitamin k, and lopressor. our phenergan now thankfully comes in vials.

[ICRN2008, BSN, RN]

A lot of chemistry controls in the lab come in vials, but one of our manufacturers provided us with an ampule opener. There is virtually no chance of cutting myself with that thing.

Unfortunately, it only works on 1 ml vials. I had to open a 3 ml vial 2 weekends ago and cut my thumb pretty badly. It wouldn't stop bleeding! (It's fine now).

[IMustBeCrazy]

Use 2 alcohol packets, open each, stick one on top, one on bottom of ampule and snap.

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

We have the ampule openers. It only took somoene slicing their thumb, slicing through a nerve, for our hospital to think they "might" not be a bad idea.

[Miss Ludie]

You might want to report this to OSHA also. What if you WERE popping Phenergan and had an allergic reaction through a cut finger? And isn't there a place you report defective medical devices? Report there too.

I actually have never (knock wood) cut my hand on one. Make sure the little painted circle is at the breaking point. If it's not the the thing will break crooked. I usually hold it in my left hand in an ETOH package and thump the top towards the trash. It's always worked for me. Hope your finger is better by now.

[rjflyn, ASN, RN]

The reusable openers are a great idea but I would be concered about cross contamination of the meds in the amps. As far as stuff out dating, most the drugs we go through so fast its not that much of an issue.

Rj

[nuangel1, BSN, RN]

we still have meds in ampules though less the years ago -dig phenergan lopressor iron to name a few.

[perfectbluebuildings, BSN, RN]

Ampules are a pain, but my biggest safety gripe right now has to do with nimodipine, which is a popular drug given to prevent vasospasm in patients with head bleeds. This med only comes in large capsule form and cannot be crushed. So in order to administer it to patients unable to take PO (which is the majority of patients in ICU), the nurse has to puncture the capsule (with a needle) and squeeze the liquid medication out. The liquid is very viscous and slippery. Several of my co-workers have suffered needle pokes because of this (fortunately I'm not one of them).

Nimodipine is a pain!!! Luckily we do not have very many pts on it, but the ones we do usually can't take PO. That is a problem.

The main med we still have in ampules is Demerol. Haven't gotten cut by one yet but I'm sure it will happen eventually, I HATE those things!!! Don't know why they can't package things in vials- IS there some reason does anyone know?

[crb613, BSN, RN]

We still have them phenergan comes to mind....after spending some time searching for a needle w/filter......I was told we don't use those :uhoh21: ......The filter is on the iv.