Variety Of Oral Dispensing Syringes

The world has seen a lot of change during the past few years. However, there has been no change as great as the announcement of standardized systems for medical devices and varied products including connectors that were often employed faultily causing misconnection that seriously affected the well being of patients. The instances of affecting patient safety including those of neonatals were too great not to warrant a closer inspection of the connectors that were believed to be responsible.

All concerned parties including a number of clinicians, medical equipment manufacturers as well as the FDA came together in 2007 to develop a new set of standards. The ISO 80369-1 Enteral Standard thus became a reality in 2011. It introduced a specific standard for small bore connectors conveying certain requirements that have to be in place for administration of liquids as well as gases in health care facilities. It also describes the testing procedures that need to be used for checking non connectivity between systems that are totally unrelated.

ISO 80369-1:2010 small bore connectors are not connectible to the following and it is important to source the products that comply with the standards before employing them to administer fluids or gases to a patient.

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  cones & sockets specified in ISO 5356-1:2004 and ISO 5356-2:2006

  
  


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  nipples pertaining to EN 13544-2:2002

  
  


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  temperature sensor connector along with the male & female ports included in Annexure DD of ISO 8185:2007

  
  

The standard explains the methodology of testing in detail with special emphasis on the dimensions as well as the design of non connectible small bore connectors. This has proved to be highly effective in minimizing the risk of misconnections between a number of medical equipment and the accessories thereby ensuring the safety of the patients.

There a number of oral dispensing syringes available today that helps in minimizing risks to the health of a patient too. However, the oral syringes are also used at home to administer medication to kids mostly who are unable to swallow capsules and tablets and have to be given the required medicine in the liquid form. The syringes are also helpful for increasing and decreasing the dosage of a particular drug in accordance with the need.

Specific Types of Oral Syringes

Oral Dose Syringe- They are specifically designed for administering drugs. It is important to use syringes that prevent the drug to be given via the wrong route. The syringes are also available in a variety of colors to prevent mix ups. The capacity usually varies between 0.5 to 6 Ml.

Enteral Feeding Syringe- Sourcing this type of syringe is of utmost importance. It is vital to look for one that comes with a unique kind of tip for discouraging misconnections. The right syringe cannot be attached to a Luer connector thus preventing mishaps thereby focusing on patient safety.

It is indeed advantageous to opt for branded products that are color coded to prevent misconnection and faulty administration.