are filter needles necessary?

[brownbook]

I always use filter needles for drugs drawn from ampules. I notice many intelligent respected co-workers, including anesthesiologists, do not? The drug (I'm talking fentanyl here) is given via the IV access port, the needle is removed and the syringe screwed onto the access port. Does that somehow make filter needles not necessary? Do the screw on type access ports act as a filter?

[Spacklehead, MSN, NP]

The filter needle should be used to draw up from ampules to reduce the chance of pulling up tiny pieces of glass with the medication. So, as long as they are using it to draw up the med, then removing it to inject the med into a needless access system is not a problem.

However, I don't believe the access ports act as a filter.

[brownbook]

Thanks for a reply, they do not use filter needles at all, just any regular needle. Sometimes I give moderate sedation in OR rooms so I open the anesthesia cart, they don't even have a bin for filter needles? But I notice other nurses doing the same on the floor where we do stock filter needles?

[mamamerlee, LPN]

You are correct to use the filter needles. Please bring this up to someone who can see that the filter needles are used by all. ALL.

[Orca, ADN, ASN, RN]

I wouldn't want to run the risk of injecting tiny shards of glass. It's easy to prevent this.

[healthstar, BSN, RN]

I always use filter needles for drugs drawn from ampules. I notice many intelligent respected co-workers, including anesthesiologists, do not? The drug (I'm talking fentanyl here) is given via the IV access port, the needle is removed and the syringe screwed onto the access port. Does that somehow make filter needles not necessary? Do the screw on type access ports act as a filter?

Don't do what other nurses do, some are lazy and do not want to look for things. Do what is right.If something happens to the patient it's going to take you twice as long to fix the problem. " Work smarter not harder"

I am with you on this one, use filter needles. :)

[GHGoonette, BSN, RN]

Filter needles? Perhaps the concept hasn't reached my country yet-if it had, the reps would probably have been beating rutted tracks to all the hospitals trying to flog them.. They sound like a good idea though, would any of you please give me a description and the names of your local manufacturers please?

[brownbook]

thanks all, I will bring it up to the powers that be. If I get some lame response, or if I get a evidence based response as to why we don't need to use them??? I will let you know.

Christine Cameron-do just type in filter needles on the Internet, you will find sites. They look just like regular needles just have a teeny tiny built in filter right at the hub. As you draw up the medication from an ampule it filters out the possible glass shards.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

I always use filter needles when drawing from an ampule. I'm doubting that anyone was ever actually harmed from being injected with tiny glass shards. It's probably more a theoretical risk than anything else. However, since filter needles are readily available, it's an easily preventable risk. So I use them. We used to have labels on ampules reminding us to use filter needles, but those have recently disappeared.

[Kim O'Therapy, BSN, RN]

Always use filter needles when drawing from ampules. Better safe than sorry.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

Filter needles? Perhaps the concept hasn't reached my country yet-if it had, the reps would probably have been beating rutted tracks to all the hospitals trying to flog them.. They sound like a good idea though, would any of you please give me a description and the names of your local manufacturers please?

They're old as dirt. I'm sure it's not that it hasn't reached your part of the country. I'm also sure there's long been no reps for them. Companies are the usual suspects in the syringe/needle industry- BD, et al.

[GHGoonette, BSN, RN]

They're old as dirt. I'm sure it's not that it hasn't reached your part of the country. I'm also sure there's long been no reps for them. Companies are the usual suspects in the syringe/needle industry- BD, et al.

Nah, I used to stand in for the hospital buyer, I'd have known if there was something like that readily on the market. Unless it was run as a pilot project and no-one wanted to bite, they might have dropped it. But I'll google it under the South African pages and see if anything pops up. Thanks, folks