Release of foreign bodies (particles) by clinical use of intravenous infusion sets

In clinical practice, stripping the plastic tubes of intravenous (i.v.) infusion sets with a scissor blade is a commonly used method for re-establishing flow in malfunctioning i.v. sets. The present investigation concludes that this procedure results in release of plastic particles from the luminal wall of the tube. Particles are subsequently flushed into the patient. The average amount of particles released exclusively from the i.v. infusion sets under these circumstances may exceed the standards for acceptable particle content per millilitre in large volume i.v. injectable fluids, according to the British Pharmacopoeia (1980) and the United States Pharmacopoeia (1990).