Filter needles for glass vials?

[jrsmrs]

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.

[danh3190]

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

[Isabelle49]

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

[Tait, MSN, RN]

Always had them, always used them.

[ZippyGBR, BSN, RN]

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

[klone, MSN, RN]

Always. Fentanyl and Nubain come in the ampules.

[apocatastasis]

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

[ZippyGBR, BSN, RN]

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

[Butterfly2625]

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.

[prmenrs, RN]

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

[Swiftright]

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.

[Ivanna_Nurse, BSN, RN]

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