Question

question 22

a pharmacy technician is compounding a sterile iv preparation and must add a medication to a (250\text{ ml}) iv bag. which of the following techniques should the technician use to maintain sterility when puncturing the iv bag?

• use a large-bore needle to make the puncture faster and more efficient.
• insert the needle into the bags access port using a downward pushing motion while inside the hood.
• puncture the bag outside the laminar airflow hood to avoid contaminating the workspace.
• wipe the access port with tap water before inserting the needle.

Explanation:

Analyze the requirements for maintaining sterility

Using the Sterile Compounding and Laminar Airflow Hood knowledge points

To maintain sterility during compounding:

• All manipulations must occur inside the Laminar Airflow Hood (at least 6 inches inside) to benefit from the HEPA-filtered air.
• The access port of the IV bag must be punctured using proper aseptic technique inside the hood.
• Tap water is non-sterile and must never be used to wipe access ports (sterile 70% isopropyl alcohol is used instead).
• Puncturing outside the hood exposes the sterile fluid path to unfiltered room air, causing contamination.
• Large-bore needles increase the risk of coring (shearing a piece of the rubber stopper/port into the solution) rather than maintaining sterility.

Therefore, inserting the needle into the bag's access port inside the hood using a controlled downward pushing motion is the correct technique.

Answer:

• (A) Use a large-bore needle to make the puncture faster and more efficient.
• (B) Insert the needle into the bag's access port using a downward pushing motion while inside the hood. (Correct answer)
• (C) Puncture the bag outside the laminar airflow hood to avoid contaminating the workspace.
• (D) Wipe the access port with tap water before inserting the needle.