December 3, 2007 - Outsourced hospital compounded sterile preparations maker PharMEDium Services LLC said today it is offering compounded pre-filled, perioperative anesthesia drugs, an effort devoted to reducing medication errors and improving OR efficiencies.
The service line covers the most commonly used drugs in the OR, including about 75 percent of those typically used in surgical procedures.
Compounded ready-to-use preparations address a host of OR risk factors, such as “look-alike” vials, syringes, and high-risk medications that lack labels and bar codes, all which contribute to medication errors.
The service line uses labels for anesthesiology conforming to standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). To enhance drug recognition, PharMEDium color-codes syringe preparations by class (orange for sedatives, red for neuromuscular blocking agents, blue for narcotics, etc.) consistent with the ASTM standards. Drug names are color-coded and dual-banded (so physicians can see the drug name on a syringe from any angle), and shapes on labels assist in distinguishing concentrations of drugs within families. Labels show an RSS composite bar code, including NDC number, lot, and expiration date, so hospitals can reportedly better track and reconcile high-risk drugs, enhance inventory control, and reduce unused or wasted drug admixtures.
For more information: www.pharmedium.com