OR anesthesia

Certain OR Syringe Anesthesia Labels are covered by U.S. Patent 7,918,830.

A new world of quality and convenience

In the OR, accuracy is never more important when making a split-second choice that can make or break the quality of patient care. PharMEDium's OR anesthesia syringe patented labels are designed to enhance drug name recognition in critical situations thanks to labels that utilize the American Society for Testing and Materials standard for color differentiation of anesthesia syringe medications endorsed by the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

Color differentiation is a valuable visual cue but it is not adequate enough to differentiate drugs within a class so we incorporated the drug name in 6 different positionsto ensure the most critical information is visible from any angle. Then we added TALLman lettering suggested by the  Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) along with various visual cues including shapes and reverse print to come up with striking designs intended to support medication selection in emergency situations.  Surveys show that most anesthesia providers utilize stopcocks or stopcock manifolds.¹

Advanced, Patented Label Design

PharMEDium completed an extensive hospital survey of current practice and past medication errors to develop the OR label design

• Drug name on circumferential bands and vertical stripe along graduation marks ensure the drug name is visible during medication selection but also through administration when the primary focus is on the graduation marks and the drug name on other labels is not visible
• Surveys show the circumferential name bands improve drug recognition when used in conjunction with stopcocks and stopcock manifolds. ^1.

Reduced waste

• Beyond use dating in conjunction with tamper-evident packaging has been shown to reduce drug waste up to 60% in one study ². For more information, go to our online Resource Center.
• CII reconciliation may be reduced by simplifying the process with a prefilled syringe thereby eliminating the need to estimate unused drug left in the original vial or transfer to a syringe for the purpose of measuring the volume
• Improved Efficiency
• Eliminate labor and facility costs associated with pharmacy prepared syringes
• Eliminate waste associated with preparation in hospital pharmacy and discards due to short expiration dates 
• One study suggests prefilled syringes may improve efficiency in the O.R. by eliminating clinician preparation ²                                                    

Quality

• PharMEDium uses sterile, commercially approved drugs to compound the Ready-to-Use O.R. anesthesia syringe medications ensuring the patient receives high quality care.
• Extended expiration dates are supported by real time stability testing and more detailed information is available in our online Resource Center.
• Rigorous attention to quality and the sterility of each syringe is supported by an Automated Bar Code Verification system designed to ensure accuracy at every step of the process. For more information and Quarterly Quality Trend reports, please visit the online Resource Center.

PharMEDium is proud to support the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).

Related news and publications

APSF 2010 Summit: Medication safety in the OR

ASA Statement on labeling of medications for use in Anesthesiology

VA patient safety advisory on High Alert Medications in the OR

2011 Joint Commission Medication Safety Goals

CDC guidelines on infection control practices and syringe reuse

Sources:

¹Based on an independent survey completed at the 2007 American Society of Anesthesiologists meeting.
²Fortier, Christopher R., Guidry, Orin F. “Outsourced Pre-Filled Syringe System Conversion: An Assessment of OR IV Waste Reduction and Anesthesia Clinician Satisfaction”. 45th ASHP Mid Year Meeting Clinical Poster Session 5-114, December 2010.