Filter Needles & Vitamin-K IM injections

[Love_2_Learn]

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!

[cc_nurse]

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

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

[georgiagalRN]

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.

[RainDreamer, BSN, RN]

Yes, always!

[medchick]

Always use a filer needle.

[SteveNNP, MSN, NP]

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.

[cathys01]

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

[crissrn27, RN]

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.

[ScammRNC]

Yes, always a filter needle.

[MA Nurse]

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.

[Love_2_Learn]

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!

[nicuRN2007]

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