Ampules and filtered needles - necessary?

[BruceyBaby]

Hey fellas, do I really need to use a filtered needle to draw? Is there really a risk of glass shards going into the oil?

[skyjetcptn]

I've never used them, but I also never deal with amps other than when I use hcg.

I know hospitals use them all the time. I've heard of people even using them with vials to prevent rubber pieces from being injected.

I would look at it as insurance, but I think you'll find that most don't use filters.

[werms]

I've never used them, but I also never deal with amps other than when I use hcg.

I know hospitals use them all the time. I've heard of people even using them with vials to prevent rubber pieces from being injected.

I would look at it as insurance, but I think you'll find that most don't use filters.

I use BD filter needles. I also only use AMP's I transfer to a 10cc vial.

[BruceyBaby]

I'm in Bangkok and nobody has even heard of a filtered needle before. Even the big hospitals like Bumrungrad and BNH don't use them...

[AlinSR]

I've never used a filtered needle.

[werms]

Helps reduce particulates larger than 5µ when aspirating, reconstituting and transferring fluids, or when withdrawing medication from glass ampules

[BBJT200]

i dont bother with them

[tigerspawn]

Hey fellas, do I really need to use a filtered needle to draw? Is there really a risk of glass shards going into the oil?

Yes x 2 image what a fragment of glass would do inside your body.

[Argentum]

I know this is an old thread but thought I should still post in case anyone else searches for info on this topic...

h**p://classic.aacn.org/aacn/practice.nsf/a40dd285cb9efd8e8825669e00031e21/69d2c30ba9fa866c88256754006d7cde?OpenDocument

Bacterial contamination has always been the major concern associated with the intravenous administration of medications and is a well-known cause of morbidity and mortality. Additional risk factors, however, have been identified and must also be considered.

The potential risks associated with administration of medications supplied in glass ampules is much greater than realized by most practitioners. Opening a glass ampule produces a shower of glass particles, many of which enter the ampule and contaminate the contents. Some of the particles have been shown to carry bacteria, though the significance of this has not been determined.The number of glass particles found in opened ampules varies, but most reports indicate approximately 100 particles, ranging in size from 10 to 1,000 µm, per 10-mL ampule. The particle count increases as the size of the ampule increases (ie, a 20-mL ampule will contain more glass particles than a 10-mL ampule). When the content of a 10-mL ampule is aspirated through an 18-gauge, 1.5-inch needle, the particle count is reduced by approximately one third (ie, approximately 65 particles remain in the aspirate), and the maximum particle size is reduced to less than 400 µm.

The potential risks associated with intravenous administration of glass particles are based on animal studies, though similar risks would apply equally to humans. It has been shown that glass particles cause inflammatory reactions (eg, phlebitis) and granuloma formation in pulmonary, hepatic, splenic, renal, and intestinal tissue. This represents a significant risk of an adverse patient outcome.

The effective removal of glass particles from an opened ampule can be accomplished by aspirating through a 19-gauge, 5-µm filter needle. Using this method decreases the average total number of particles in the aspirate to approximately ±1, and the particle size to less than 200 µm. Using a 0.22-µm in-line filter offers little or no additional benefit, and is more costly and labor intensive—once the ampule content is aspirated into a syringe, the filter needle must be replaced with a standard needle prior to transferring or administering the medication.

So basically, unless you use a filter needle - glass will get into your syringe, and subsequently into your body. I think it's a good idea to use a filter needle if you can!

Props to Flinstones1 for the original info.

[m314]

I've used hundreds of amps without a filter with no issues so far. I open 10 amps at a time, draw with a 23 gauge needle, and inject into a sealed sterile vial. A glass fragment in the oil would be easy to see once it's in the vial. If the oil looks clean (which it always has), I'll use a 29 gauge slin pin to draw and inject as needed.

[against_grain]

filtered needle tips look almost identical, other than a small marking on the package you might not even notice. I work in health care and we had a shipment of filtered work its way in with non-filtered (they are exchangeable) most ppl didnt even notice a difference.

[thisAngelBites]

I have 18 gauge filter needles, and have a really difficult time getting the oil through them, even when heated. I keep telling myself I don't want glass shards, but I am not happy having the open oil that I am going to put into a vial that I multi-dose out in the air for such a long time, even though I am going to heat sterilise it and add BA.