In-use Contamination of Intravenous Solutions in Flexible Plastic Containers

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Abstract
The rate of contamination of (1) intravenous solutions and admixtures prepared in flexible plastic containers by ntirses and (2) the companion administration sets was evaluated following administration of the solutions to patients in a large municipal-community teaching hospital. Fluid from both intravenous solution containers and administration sets was sampled; bacteriological plating, inoculation and culturing techniques were utilized to detect microbiological contamination. Out of a total of 366 flexible plastic containers examined over a three-month period (the majority collected from surgical and intensive care units), 18 (4.9%) were found to be contaminated. A study of 365 administration sets showed a contamination rate of 5.5%. The majority of contaminants were observed as the growth of a single colony. This study indicates that flexible plastic intravenous solution containers have a low rate of contamination under actual use conditions when compared to previously reported studies of other intravenous fluid administration systems. The hazard of touch contamination continues to exist, as was shown by the predominance of Staphylococcus epidermidis in contaminated samples. Further examination is necessary, however, to determine the clinical significance of the observed contamination.

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