Medications in Ampules

Purpose
1. Some medications are stored in glass ampules
2. Must safely break the ampule to access the medication
3. Must use a filter needle to prevent tiny shards of glass from being injected into patient

Nursing Points

General

Supplies needed
1. Medication ampule
2. Appropriate size syringe
3. Filter needle
4. Alcohol pad OR 2×2 gauze pads

Nursing Concepts

Steps and Nursing Considerations
1. Verify provider order
2. ALWAYS follow 5 rights BEFORE preparing medication
  1. Right Patient
  2. Right Drug
  3. Right Dose
  4. Right Route
  5. Right Time
3. ALWAYS prepare medications at the patient’s bedside
4. Gather supplies
5. Perform hand hygiene
6. Don clean gloves
7. Let the patient know what meds they will be receiving
8. Calculate the required volume of medication needed
9. Choose appropriate size syringe
10. Attach filter needle to syringe
11. Hold the ampule in your nondominant hand
12. Flick or tap ampule to bring all medication to the bottom
13. Wrap a piece of gauze around the top of the ampule with your dominant and
  1. If the ampule has a DOT on the top, that is where you will put your thumb
14. Using your thumbs, break the ampule open away from you
15. Uncap the needle/syringe and withdraw the correct amount of liquid from the ampule
  1. May need to tilt the ampule to get to the liquid
16. Safely recap and/or remove the filter needle and dispose in sharps container
17. If not administering right away, LABEL the medication syringe:
  1. Drug name
  2. Dose / Volume
  3. Date / Time / Initials
  4. **Do not draw up more than one medication at a time without labelling the syringe(s)
18. **Can use a piece of tape or a patient label/stickerFollow the appropriate steps for administration based on the prescribed route (IV, IM, SubQ, etc.)

Patient Education

Educate about administration of medication.

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Transcript

In this video, we’re going to look at how to safely draw up medications that come in glass ampules without cutting yourself AND without getting glass in the syringe and giving it to your patient!

Of course, the first step is to calculate the required volume of medication needed. Let’s say in this case it’s 2 mL – or the whole ampule.
Grab your 3 mL syringe and this time you’ll have to attach a filter needle – this is how we’re going to prevent getting glass into the patient!
Hold the ampule in your non-dominant hand and flick it until all the bubbles are at the bottom, below the neck of the ampule
Look at the top and see if there’s a little dot on the top, if so, that’s where you want to put your thumb.
Wrap a piece of gauze around the top of the ampule with your dominant hand, you can also put the top of the ampule into an open alcohol pad package.
Put your dominant thumb over the dot and line up your non-dominant thumb with it on the base of the ampule.
Using your thumbs, break the ampule open away from you.
Now you can uncap the filter needle and withdraw the correct amount of liquid from the ampule. You may need to tilt the ampule to get to the liquid.
Now, safely recap or remove the filter needle from the abse and dispose of it in the sharps container.
As always, if you aren’t administering the drug right away, you MUST LABEL the syringe with the drug, dose, and date/time/initial.

Make sure you follow appropriate administration based on the ordered route, and of course, always follow your 5 rights!

Now, go out and be your best selves today. And, as always, happy nursing!