Marker on syringes

[kiwigirl123]

Hi All,

Does anyone know if permanent marker is okay on plastic syringes as long as giving med/vaccine soon after drawing up? (i.e. leaching through plastic to med?) I cannot find any information on the subject, only on not using permanent marker on IV bags. Thanks for any input!

[Asystole RN]

Hey IVRUS,

Help me out & quote your source to not writing on IV bags. Do you know of a scientific study that was done?

Sincerely,

Mr.Sandman

I would like to see this also.

The whole magic marker bleeds through the bag is an old wives tale. The ink in magic markers is non toxic and usually has a resin, colorant, and a solvent that usually happens to be an alcohol. Old IV bags and medical plastics in general were typically made of polyvinyl chloride, a plastic that is actually relatively porous and does leech chemicals into it's contents. Due to the concern of DEHP leeching into the contents of the IV bags made of PVC there was a major push to eliminate PVC from medical supplies in favor of polypropylene and other alternatives. Unlike PVC, polypropylene is an inert plastic that does not readily react with chemicals, leech them, or allow them to readily cross it's membrane. Today you are as likely to find PVC in healthcare as you are latex. Yes you might run across an odd object here or there but they are definitely rare items.

OSHA requires that chemotherapy and other hazardous waste be disposed in 5mil thick polypropylene bags (think the red and yellow bags we see). Most "food grade" pkastic bags that you purchase are in the 5mil thickness range (think a bag of nuts). The average IV bag is much thicker than 5mils, usually closer to the 8-10mil range. You cannot tell me that a 5mil polypropylene bag that can safely contain chemotherapy agents is somehow susceptible to the humble non-toxic magic marker.

Twenty years ago I would have agreed and said that there may possibly, maybe, in rare circumstances, be the slightest chance that some magic marker ink could leech into the bag if the bag was dipped into a vat of boiling ink and left for 3 days. Today, not so much.

[CalicoKitty, BSN, RN]

Another suggestion would be to write on part of the bag/syringe that the medication won't touch (ie above the draw/fluid line).

[canned_bread]

we write with pen onto micropore (the paper-like tape), then place onto syringe or bag

[xoemmylouox, ASN, RN]

I don't think there is any real harm in writing on the bag itself, but I find it is much easier to read if I write it on tape first, then apply. Same would apply to injections..

[IVRUS, BSN, RN]

(1.) Judy Hankins et al, eds, Policies and Procedures for Infusion Nursing, second ed (Orlando, Fla: WB Saunders, 2002)

This is one referrance, but my question to you is: Do you have evidence that shows that it WON'T leach into the bag... Unless you can show me that it doesn't do this, I say leaching is still a concern, so WHY RISK IT?

A Label is a simple way to prevent it. Why take the chance? Yes, bags have gone through revisional changes just like medications have. Vancomycin for instance, is a much purer drug than it was in earlier years. But, if there is a chance that leaching could occur, take precautions. It is when one has a cavailer attitute about IV therapy that negative outcomes result.

[lumbarpain, ADN, RN]

Use tape or labels on plastic bags or bottles...syringes...a label if it stays on.

[Mr.Sandman]

I am a MSN student. My research component involved a bench study of looking for contamination of IV fluids after writing on the infusion container (IV Bag) with the industry standard Sharpie black markers at both ambient & 40 degrees Celsius. My study used 5 different types of bags over a period of 24 hours. The fluid specimen were then ran through a UV/Vis spectrometer. I obtained the known wavelengths of the black ink from Newell Rubbermaid Office Products - the manufacturer of Sharpie products. There was NO correlation in the wavelengths of the tested specimen versus the known wavelengths. I had both positive & negative controls in place. Therefore my research showed that the current generation of infusion containers are impervious to the tested ink.

[AliDevon]

I've been following this debate with real interest and am relived to finally see that someone has actually gone to effort to check whether this long-standing debate may have a conclusive answer. Thank you Mr. Sandman.

When I looked into this a while ago, it was following a discussion that only labels were safe, my problem with this argument is that, if ink can contaminated bags, why not the glue from labels and tape?? I found this article but as you can see, it's pretty old.

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CDAQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anesthesia-analgesia.org%2Fcontent%2F69%2F3%2F412.1.full.pdf&ei=tMlCUtzTJ-O-0QXq2ICwDA&usg=AFQjCNECkaBD6ZiwHFrGZsnXZ73F57rixg&bvm=bv.53077864,d.d2k&cad=rja