about injections: are filters important for ampuled drugs?

jesting15 · Oct 18, 2004

This is a great web site, looked it up at work in Boston where at our huge hospital we have no access to filter needles. Have a patient on dilantin and have given many doses without filtering it from the glass ampules. I'm so disgusted, argued all weekend with supplies and pharmacy. Emailed the DON (director of nursing) and she replied that I should go to my manager- who is out with a broken ankle. Meanwhile, this patient continues to get his unfiltered IV medication. Argh! I'm off for several days, will pick up when I return. Anyone else tried to get correct equipment to no avail?

nuttyRN · Oct 18, 2004

I have to give a lot of b12 shots out of ampules, but we don't ever use filters. I know how school teachings can differ from "real life", but I'm nervous about not using them. I read that microscopic shrapnels can contaminate the liquids when breaking the ampules, and that these could cause them to dislogde somewhere unpleasant in the body. Can any please help tell me what their experience has been?

In our hospital you MUST use filtered needles to draw meds out of ampules for the above mentioned reason. You really do need to insist on this. And when you do get filtered needles, be sure to change them before giving the injection!

nuttyRN · Oct 18, 2004

This is a great web site, looked it up at work in Boston where at our huge hospital we have no access to filter needles. Have a patient on dilantin and have given many doses without filtering it from the glass ampules. I'm so disgusted, argued all weekend with supplies and pharmacy. Emailed the DON (director of nursing) and she replied that I should go to my manager- who is out with a broken ankle. Meanwhile, this patient continues to get his unfiltered IV medication. Argh! I'm off for several days, will pick up when I return. Anyone else tried to get correct equipment to no avail?

Why are you giving dilantin out of ampules?

lifeisbeautiful · Oct 20, 2004

Our institution never uses them. I work in a 800+ bed facility. The anesthesiologists don't even use them.

apaisRN, RN, CRNA · Oct 21, 2004

I use filter straws, but they are hard to find and I've skipped them on occasion when I was in a hurry (i.e. drawing up meds for emergent intubation in the ICU). My question is why are we still using meds from ampules at all? It's probably cheaper to package in vials with rubber stoppers and not buy filter straws/needles.