syringe you just drew up,
you'll actually spend less
per cc if you go prefilled.
Then there are those who
say you should go prefilled
if the compounding phar-
macy's beyond-use date
(BUD) for a refrigerated
item is significantly longer
than the manufacturer's
expiration date. Whatever
the reason, this much is
certain: Prefilled syringes
can play a key role in sur-
gery.
About 9 months ago, the
head of anesthesia at
Lakeside Ambulatory
Surgery Center in Omaha,
Neb., asked pharmacy
coordinator Louise
Bergeron, RN, BSN, MS, if
they could look into using
prefilled syringes for cer-
tain medications. Since
then, Lakeside has been using prefilled neostigmine, ephedrine, gly-
copyrrolate, succinylcholine and phenylephrine daily. And they're very
happy about the decision.
"The anesthesiologist told me his group used prefilled syringes at
other facilities, and they were a far safer option," says Ms. Bergeron.
5 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J U N E 2 0 1 9
Reason to
buy prefilled
How much
does it matter?
Safety 4.11
When drugs are in
short supply
3.98
Cost savings 3.53
Convenience 3.15
Time savings 2.90
Surgeon preference 2.75
Why Do You Buy
Prefilled Syringes?
Survey respondents who use prefilled
syringes listed safety and drug short-
ages as the top 2 factors that influ-
ence their purchasing decision. We
asked respondents to rank the follow-
ing factors on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1
being not at all important and 5 being
critically important.
WHAT MATTERS MOST?
SOURCE: Outpatient Surgery Magazine
Survey, May 2019, 105 respondents
