Multiple withdrawals from single-use vials: a study on sterility.

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Healthcare Practices
• Pharmaceutical Sciences

Background:

• Reutilization of single-use vials for medications is a debated practice, especially in resource-limited settings and disaster relief.
• Previous studies on vial sterility after multiple uses were limited in scope, often testing only one drug and not accounting for syringe transfer.
• Assessing microbial contamination in multi-dose scenarios is crucial for patient safety and effective drug management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate microbial contamination in physiological solution transferred from single-use vials into disposable syringes.
• To determine the sterility of these preparations over a three-day period with daily withdrawals.

Main Methods:

• A prospective sterility study involving 600 single-use vials and 600 disposable syringes filled with physiological solution.
• Samples were prepared using basic sterile technique in standard operating rooms.
• Four samples were withdrawn daily from each syringe for three consecutive days and cultured on Sabouraud and chocolate agar media.

Main Results:

• A total of 7200 samples were collected and 14,400 cultures were performed.
• No microbial growth was detected in any of the culture media plates throughout the study period.

Conclusions:

• Physiological solution initially stored in single-use vials and transferred to disposable syringes maintains sterility.
• Sterile technique in an operating room setting ensures no microbial contamination after 4 daily withdrawals for 3 days.
• This finding supports the safe practice of reusing single-use vials to minimize drug wastage.