Could someone please help me to determine what the standard is for capping off tubing during intermittent infusion? Is a sterile dead end/luer protective cap necessary? Can one use the cap that comes on the flush? What is best practice?
Could someone please help me to determine what the standard is for capping off tubing during intermittent infusion? Is a sterile dead end/luer protective cap necessary? Can one use the cap that comes on the flush? What is best practice?
Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, NPD-BC, CRNI
Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc.
PO Box 10
Milner, GA 30257
Website http://www.hadawayassociates.com
Office Phone 770-358-7861
Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, NPD-BC, CRNI
Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc.
PO Box 10
Milner, GA 30257
Website http://www.hadawayassociates.com
Office Phone 770-358-7861
I directed this same question to one of the prefilled syringe Rep's. Their response was: "It would be considered off label product use and that they preferred that it not be used in that manner."
[quote=Carla Yusufi] Can one use the cap that comes on the flush? What is best practice?[/quote]
Peter Marino R.N. BSN CRNI VA-BC Hospital based staff R.N. with no affiliation to any product or health care company.
Our nurses here tend to take the open end of the tubing and connect to one of the ports on the tubing (after cleaning it with alcohol, I hope ( :). Several staff members have asked me if this is acceptable practice. Any opions on this? If the cap from the syringe gets lossed, would the next best thing to is to cap off with a sterile needle?
Kristin Walker RN, BSN, OCN Maui Memorial Medical Center IV dept.
Hopefully one of the experts will chime in but my $.02 is...
I really dislike this practice of plugging back in the same tubing, for a few reasons. There are sterile caps available from a few manufacturers to properly cap with. I believe they cost about two cents a piece (someone correct if I'm wrong). Using a sterile needle to cap with is great fodder for a law suit. Especially in light of OSHA standards pushing toward a needleless enviroment.
[quote=Kristin Walker] Our nurses here tend to take the open end of the tubing and connect to one of the ports on the tubing (after cleaning it with alcohol, I hope ( :). Several staff members have asked me if this is acceptable practice. Any opions on this? If the cap from the syringe gets lossed, would the next best thing to is to cap off with a sterile needle?[/quote]
Peter Marino R.N. BSN CRNI VA-BC Hospital based staff R.N. with no affiliation to any product or health care company.