Safe Disposal For Needles And Syringes

It is very important to manage needles and syringes in the hospital setting. Any device that is used to puncture or lacerate the skin needs to be properly disposed of. These are considered biohazardous waste and must be very carefully handled. Syringes, needles, blades and contaminated glass and even some plastics, are in this category.

In addition to the sharps, anything such as a syringe connected to a needle, is considered sharps waste. Although the syringe cannot puncture the skin, because it was connected to the needle, it is now considered part of the hazardous waste. If a glass or plastic container has been contaminated with biohazardous material, then it is also treated the same as the needles.

If the sharp penetrates the skin, it is possible for the biohazard waste to spread blood-borne pathogens. Hospital staff expose themselves to the risk of transmission of Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV, on a daily basis. The volume handled by the staff increases the chances that an accident can occur. Proper handling of the biohazardous waste helps to decrease these risks.

The best way to help prevent injuries is to take extreme care with the management and disposal of the waste. Hospital staff should minimize their contact with the sharps, handling them as little as possible. Hospitals have strict protocols which follows the government regulations, to ensure that staff handle the waste safely and that the waste is disposed of effectively.

Sharp containers are available in various sizes, for the disposal of these needles and syringes, blades, and other biohazardous waste. These heavy duty plastic containers are self-locking and sealable. The containers are made so that the whole container can be disposed of with the other biohazardous waste.

Disposal methods vary from state to state, but the common practice is, the disposal of the biohazardous waste by a truck service. Some hospitals and clinics, have a routine company that comes through the patient rooms and nurses' station and changes the containers for the staff. The staff then changes the sharps containers in between the company's trips, if necessary. Most facilities have the protocol, that these are to be changed when they are 2/3 full. The main cause of accidental needle sticks is needle sticking out of the sharp containers. Always check the policies and protocols for the facility and observe them closely.

The amount of injections that are given worldwide is astronomical. More than 16 billion a year are given, contributing to the increase in the accidental needle stick problem. The development of safety features, such as the auto-disable injection device, which retracts the needle back into the syringe, has helped decrease the accidental needle stick problem. Never recap a needle, always follow the policy of the facility for disposal and be careful.

The Dial-A-Flo

For some patients, a Dial-A-Flo will allow nursing staff to ensure that the proper drip rate is being achieved. In general, this dial will allow you to adjust the rate of flow from anywhere between 5ml – 250ml per hour.

The application of a Dial-A-Flo will require that you have a heparin lock and saline syringe ready to go. Begin by taking the heparin syringe prepared in advance. You will then be ready to connect the IV tubing to the Dial-A-Flo machine.

This is done by taking the Dial-A-Flo tubing and connecting it to the clear flat cap that can be found at the end of the IV tubing. You should remove the clear cap and twist it on. At this time, the flow should be set to off. Now, take the IV bag and remove the white tab. You can then remove the spike cover that will part of the tubing, ensuring you don’t make contact with the IV.

Now, take the spike, and place it into the bag’s port by twisting and pushing it into it. This can now be attached to the pole. Squeeze the drip chamber and release until the fluid line has been reached. Now, you can switch the Dial-A-Flo to the open position and allow the tubing to begin filling with the fluid, when it reaches the end, switch it back to the off position. You can now remove the clear cap from the IV tubing. Touching only the wings of the blunt cannula, you can remove it from the package and connect it with a twisting motion.

At this point, you would follow the directions of the medication that you will be giving to the patient to ensure that is has proper delivery at all times. Keeping in mind of course that the Dial-A-Flo may need different connections and settings based on the tubing that you are using. Because of that, you should continue to monitor the requirements that are in place per the issuing company.

This will be a powerful tool when you are delivering medications intravenously. Because of that, it is vital that the nursing staff that will be using it is trained on how to operate it successfully. This includes how to properly calibrate the unit. Just like any other device, there is still a margin of error that needs to be checked. Tubing and flow will all have an impact on its success. A good formula for doing this will be to monitor the number of drops per minute that the mechanism is allowing for. Divide this number by 12 and verify that is the number you have every 5 seconds, or you can divide it by 4 for 15 second counts.

Ensuring the proper delivery of medication will be important for the safety and the wellbeing of the patient.

Keeping IV Admixture Devices Among Your Pharmacy Supplies

As a pharmacy, you never know when you will be called on to provide that bit of equipment that someone so desperately needs. Although far more commonplace in hospitals, neighborhood pharmacies will occasionally be presented with requests for home IV tubing supplies, and the filters and adapters that go along with them. Having these simple items in stock can be the difference between someone getting to go home, or needing to stay in the hospital. Help to make your patients as comfortable as possible during this time by keeping these common pharmacy supplies in stock.


Regardless of what manner of tubing your pharmacy supplies require, Wolf Medical Supply,can provide you with a full source of the tubing, filters and other supplies that you need. When patients require in-home intravenous therapy, your pharmacy must be able to supply them with all of the required pieces, or they will be forced to take their business elsewhere.


Keeping the Vial-Mate Adapter in stock as a regular part of your pharmacy supplies will enable your customers to make use of many medications that require mixing at the time of administration. This simple to use device allows your customers to mix concentrated forms of medication into IV fluid bags for proper home delivery. Along with all of the basic tubing needs, these items will help make your pharmacy supplies well known for being able to provide proper IV therapy to patients who are in need. Help your lifelong customers to stay at the pharmacy they have trusted for their entire lives by investing in the proper IV therapy supplies now. With a long shelf life, these items take up little space and will always be ready when one of your trusted patients requires intravenous therapy in the comfort of their own homes. By having these common items available for purchase in your pharmacy, you can continue your long-standing reputation of having everything that your patients need, and being a trusted family pharmacy for generations.