How Does An ENFit Enteral System Reduce The Chances Of Misconnections

Medical professionals and patients have always been concerned about the faulty connections between tubings required to feed and administer drugs to patients. The seriousness gets aggravated when the life of a neonate happens to be at stake. Thankfully, the development of ISO 80369 has proved to be effective in mitigating the risks to a great extent.

The ‘International Organization for Standardization’ has been particularly concerned about the implications of small-bore connector carrying liquids and gases into the patient’s body. A single patient even a newly born child is often found with several lines inserted into them via special Luer lock connectors that are typically small bore ones. It is of utmost importance for the care giver to remain vigilant at all times so that there is no mix up of the lines.

The current standards call for specific connectors to be utilized for specific purposes and aims to reduce the instances of misconnections sharply. The standard connections are specified both generally for all kinds of connectors as well as specifically for the connectors that are employed for a particular purpose pertaining to health care. The small bore connections transfer liquids or gases and are used in several medical equipments along with a variety of accessories to benefit the patient.

ISO 80369-3 for Enteral Feeding

The ENFit connection is the new standardized version of the enteral system that made the first transition of clinical relevance. The ‘Global Enteral Device Suppliers Association (GEDSA)’ was specifically formed to help with the implementation process. The new connectors have an improved design that is aimed at 100% patient safety. The possibilities of faulty connections have been decreased considerably with the use of this system. These connectors are in fact much larger than the previous ones namely the Luer connectors. The male and female parts of two mismatched tubes cannot be connected no matter how hard the caregiver tries to join them together. The sets have a specific locking system as well that enables the small bore connections to remain in place.

ISO 80369-2 for aiding Respiration

The tubes that help the patient to breathe easily usually carry gases or are utilized to administer specific medicines meant to relieve respiratory distress. The novel designs as per the recent standards are meant to be used on equipment such as the ventilators or an anesthetic administration device. However, another type of connector has been permitted to be employed for connecting to flowmeters, nasal cannulae & face masks meant for nebulizer therapy.

The connectors are not limited to the above mentioned functions only though. In fact, the ISO 80369-4 is meant for urinary catheters that are used to drain urine from the body of a patient. The connectors joining the air inflation apparatus to the limb cuffs need to be of ISO 80369-5. ISO 80369-6, on the other hand, was specifically formulated for administration of drugs to various neuraxial locations.