How To Avoid An ENFit Syringe Dose Error
It has been mandatory for medical facilities and clinics as well as home care providers to utilize ENFit deice connectors while administering medicines or nutrition to a patient. The “Global Enteral Device Supplier Association (GEDSA)’ recommends only ENFit devices that are not compatible with the previously used Luer or any other kind of small bore connections thereby reducing the possibilities of misconnections greatly.
While almost all neonatal units as well as NICUs have began using the new safe devices and connectors yet a potential ENFit syringe dose error have troubled the specialists greatly. Sure, the computerized system has made the work of calculating the dosage much easier yet the chances of errors cannot be dismissed totally. The medical fraternity working with the neonates had been dosing a new born baby as per its body weight with the amount of medicine administered being altered often in accordance to the nutrition needs especially when the infant begins to grow and develop.
A number of scenarios have been identified to date in the new tubal connectors that could result in dosing errors. It is necessary to correct the situation by putting in certain changes so that transition to the ENFit connectors can be done without any risk of errors. The possibilities that have been uncovered by experienced manufacturers and professionals so far may cause under or over dosing of the neonates at various stages i.e. right from drawing up the liquid to delivery of the nutrition or medicine.
The instances of a nurse or unit care giver who draws up the drug with the aid of a conventional syringe and tries to administer it with the help of an ENFit feeding tube will find it impossible for the syringe will not fit into the feeding tube at all.
However, the facilities that continue to draw up the medication with a traditional syringe can administer it orally to the patient without any apparent risks.
· Even if a nurse draws up the drug via an ENFit syringe and puts it into an ENFit feeding tube there can be a slight overdosing of the patient. Fortunately, only about 0.2 ml of the medication would be given additionally. It is not a certainty, however, with the amount of over dosing depending on the manufacturer of the connectors.
· Drawing up the drug with an ENFit syringe and administering it orally may also cause a slight under dosing (0.2 ml on an average) too.
· The best possible scenario will be to use an ENFit syringe to raw up the liquid with the syringe being fitted with an ENFit enteral straw or alternatively a bottle cap. Delivering the drug into an ENFit feeding tube right away will result in an accurate dosage. Care must be taken to calculate the dead space at the tip of the syringe though.
Neonates who are born before the usual term need to be treated most carefully, however. The right way to retain the body temperature would be to utilize a quality occlusive wrap so that the infant remains comfortably swaddled immediately after the delivery.
