In a recently published issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology1 we have written a research brief titled: “Spiking of intravenous bag does not cause time-dependent microbial contamination: a preliminary report.”
The results of our study can be summarized: In intravenous bags that were spiked and stored in a normal non-sterile anesthesia workroom environment, no growth of bacteria or fungi was observed in any sample of Normal Saline or Lactated Ringers solution with dextrose, at any time point, up to nine days after spiking.
The impetus for this study stems from an apparent misinterpretation of The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Chapter <797> Standards for Pharmaceutical compounding by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).2 Based on this misinterpretation, The Joint Commission and other hospital administrative bodies are requiring that intravenous (I.V.) solution bags must be connected to a patient within one hour of spiking. If...
