Lyme Disease IV Filters and the importance of them

The Importance of iv filters

What is an IV filter? It’s a small filter that is found at the end of an IV line (at times) and always at the end of the IV line on an Eclipse pump.

Why the filter? Because the IV filter will filter most bacteria and virus contamination, and other foreign objects.

Recently, while compounding ceftriaxone we noticed a piece of something that looked like a human hair. This object was not visible before the dry powder was reconstituted because it was embedded in the powder.

If someone mixed this product at home, and didn't see the contaminate, it could have conceivably gone through the IV line into the vein!

Of course when we mix products they are inspected before and after compounding (or mixing). We found the contaminant and did not dispense the product. It was returned to the manufacturer for a quality control inspection.

The contaminant is the hair like object in this vial. The other particles that are seen are actually un dissolved Ceftriaxone. While this type of contamination is very rare, it did happen, and can happen. For patient safety we insist that IV filters are used!

Upon analysis this was not a human (or animal) hair, but rather a fiber of some sort. Source of the fiber is unknown.

Text Box: Fortunately this vial of medication did not leave Infuserve America but if it had, an IV filter would have caught the contamination. In the past we did not insist on sending IV filters but after this episode we insist that all patients who mix at home (not recommended) have IV tubing with an IV filter affixed to the end of the line to prevent contamination!