Factors Involved in Monitoring IV Therapy — a Study of Microbial Growth in IV Fluids

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Abstract
A Study of Microbial Growth in Intravenous Solutions A study of the growth potential of five microorganisms in 18 different intravenous fluids was made. It has been shown that with the exception of 2 organisms (Enterobacter cloacae and Erwinia species) growth after 24-hours is suppressed in solutions which do not contain nitrogen supplied by amino acids. These data indicate that microbial monitoring studies of intravenous fluids should be carried out by running sterility test procedures immediately after the likelihood of contamination occurs, (i.e. admixture preparation, administration set insertion, and administration to patient). Negative results obtained from surveillance samples more than 24-hours old may not be truly indicative of the initial level of microbial contamination. Such monitoring could therefore lead to a false sense of security relative to in-house techniques for intravenous solution preparation, handling and administration.