Malfunction of Needleless Prefilled Glass Syringes Could be Dangerous

The FDA has issued an alert to healthcare professionals regarding the use of two cardiac drugs, amiodarone and adenosine, in prefilled needleless glass syringes.

This follows an increasing number of reports of clogging and malfunctions during the intravenous administration of these drugs using the glass syringes following incompatibility between the syringe and the access line.

It has been observed that if the syringe and the access system are incompatible, the pin in the pin-activated IV access system can break off and block the syringe. This prevents the drug from being released into the IV line and results in a delay in administration of the drug. At times, the syringe damages the IV access system or the IV tube, necessitating a change in the access line. This could also further increase the time taken to deliver the medication. This delay is unacceptable for drugs like adenosine and amiodarone, which are used in life-threatening conditions like cardiac arrhythmias and have to be administered immediately during an emergency.

The FDA advises healthcare professionals to read the labels of the prefilled syringes carefully to make sure that they are compatible with the access system being used in the patient. It advises them to avoid using the prefilled glass syringes in emergencies.

The FDA also advises healthcare professionals to stock up enough vials or prefilled plastic syringes of these two drugs so that they can be used in lieu of the prefilled glass syringes in case of a malfunction.

Source: http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm254215.htm

Source-Medindia