Glass contamination in parenterally administered medication

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Science
• Medical Device Technology
• Patient Safety Research

Background:

• Glass particle contamination is a known issue when opening single-dose glass ampoules.
• The clinical impact of intramuscular glass particle administration remains unclear.
• Current nursing practices lack standardized methods for minimizing glass particle risk during injections.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify glass particle contamination in different ampoule sizes and experimental conditions.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of various needle sizes and filter use in preventing glass particle aspiration.
• To inform best practices for safe medication administration.

Main Methods:

• A computer microscope analyzed glass particles aspirated into syringes.
• Two needle sizes (18G and 21G) without filters were compared.
• A 19G filtered needle was evaluated for its efficacy in preventing particle aspiration.

Main Results:

• Glass particles were found in 22% of 1-mL ampoules and 56% (18G) and 39% (21G) of 2-mL ampoules.
• Multiple glass particles were common in opened 2-mL ampoules.
• No glass particles were detected when using 19G filtered needles.

Conclusions:

• Larger bore, unfiltered needles increase the risk of aspirating glass particles.
• Filtered needles eliminate glass particle aspiration.
• The use of filtered needles is recommended for routine intramuscular injections to enhance patient safety.