Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 5, 2026
High Throughput Single-cell and Multiple-cell Micro-encapsulation
Published on: June 15, 2012
Maximizing doses from multi-dose vaccine vials using the air bubble trapping technique
Bethany C Yang1, Kathleen M Sanchez1, Kim M Moore1
1Vaccine Preventable Disease Control Program, Department of Public Health, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Purpose:
Vaccine shortages present significant challenges for public health, necessitating strategies such as fractional dosing and the use of adjuvants to conserve doses. However, reducing vaccine wastage remains essential. One approach is the air bubble trapping technique (ABTT), which involves trapping an air bubble to minimize dead volume loss and maximize the number of doses extracted from multi-dose vials.
Materials And Methods:
This study compares ABTT with standard methods using 3 syringe types. Healthcare workers prepared 0.1 mL and 0.5 mL saline doses both with and without ABTT.
Results:
Results showed that ABTT produced comparable vaccine volumes to conventional techniques but required extra preparation time. ABTT reduced volume by 8.6% for 0.1 mL doses and 2.9% for 0.5 mL doses, with preparation times of 30.63 and 32.95 seconds, compared to 12.53 and 15.11 seconds without ABTT.
Conclusion:
ABTT was consistent across different syringe types and levels of user experience, allowing for practical integration into vaccination workflows.
