Do the built-in safe-
ty, waste reduction
and time savings jus-
tify the higher costs
you'll pay for pre-
filled syringes? Let's
use neostigmine as
an example. Our
contract price with
the manufacturer for
a 10-mL vial of the
neuromuscular
block reversal drug
is $55. That's $5.50 per mL. We pay $30 for a 3-mL prefilled vial of
neostigmine from our compounding lab. That's $10 per mL. Why
would we pay nearly twice as much per mL to outsource that item?
Glad you asked.
When you do the math, you'll discover that we're actually saving
money by using ready-to-use syringe medications. The equation is
simple: spend more, but waste less. We waste not a drop of neostig-
mine when we administer a 3-mL, $30 syringe. We waste 7 mL when
we administer a 10-mL, $55 syringe. Something's wrong when the
drain gets more medication than the patient. You'll ease your sticker
shock when you take cost per mL, waste and staff time into account.
A longer shelf life is another advantage of prefilled syringes. We
order the paralytic succinylcholine in 5-mL prefilled syringes, the
appropriate dose for adults. Succinylcholine from the manufacturer
comes in 10-mL or 20-mL vials that you must refrigerate. Once you
take succinylcholine out of the refrigerator and place it in the auto-
mated dispensing machine, the drug will lose its stability before the
4 4 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • A U G U S T 2 0 1 7
• READY TO USE Do the additional medication safety, waste reduction and time-sav-
ings justify the greater up-front cost for your facility?
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
