IV bags and overwrap

[MDONER]

A debate was started today regarding using IV bags that have been removed from the overwrap. I work in an OR, we use a lot of IV's in a day. Occasionally an extra bag will be removed from the overwrap. When I suggested that the bag was still safe to use my colleagues looked at me like I had 3 heads and just broke a nursing rule.

It seems that many people felt the overwrap had some magically invsa-shield built into it and by only using bags still in the wrap could they be assured that the bag had not been tampered with or had something added to it. I pointed out that it's plastic and needles are sharp.

On further research I now know that the overwrap serves as a vapor barrier and a shipping/storage protection (bags don't stick together, ink doesn't come off the bags).

So the question is, would you use an IV bag that was not in the overwrap if it were sufficiently dated with when said wrap was removed? Most manufactures recommended 2-4 weeks.

[Sour Lemon]

A debate was started today regarding using IV bags that have been removed from the overwrap. I work in an OR, we use a lot of IV's in a day. Occasionally an extra bag will be removed from the overwrap. When I suggested that the bag was still safe to use my colleagues looked at me like I had 3 heads and just broke a nursing rule.

It seems that many people felt the overwrap had some magically invsa-shield built into it and by only using bags still in the wrap could they be assured that the bag had not been tampered with or had something added to it. I pointed out that it's plastic and needles are sharp.

On further research I now know that the overwrap serves as a vapor barrier and a shipping/storage protection (bags don't stick together, ink doesn't come off the bags).

So the question is, would you use an IV bag that was not in the overwrap if it were sufficiently dated with when said wrap was removed? Most manufactures recommended 2-4 weeks.

I use them all the time as long as they've been stored in a secure place. Occasionally, the outer bag of a wrong fluid gets opened. I can't see why it would just be thrown away.

[xoemmylouox, ASN, RN]

I use them all the time as long as they've been stored in a secure place. Occasionally, the outer bag of a wrong fluid gets opened. I can't see why it would just be thrown away.

No kidding. The way hospitals micro manage every little piece of equipment used now-a-days. I can't imagine the penny pinchers being ok with throwing away perfectly safe fluids.

[brownbook]

It happened from time to time in pre-op. We would check if OR or PACU could use them. But at the end of the day throw them away.

You could check if pre-op or PACU could use them.

I assume someone knew they were okay to use within a certain amount of time. I can't think why they couldn't be used for the next OR case?

Probably need to put a sticker on them to the effect of discard after 2000 8/25.

[MunoRN, RN]

The purpose of the overwrap is that the type of plastic that the bags must be made out of allow the osmotic transfer of some fluid through the plastic over long periods of time, so the overwrap is there to prevent excessive loss of solute in the IV bag. The bags can remain stored without the overwrap for days to even weeks before there is enough fluid loss in the bag to make any sort of difference.