Question

a pharmacy technician should use a filter needle for which of the following tasks?

to draw up a viscous liquid
to reconstitute a powdered drug
to draw up liquid from an ampule
to draw fluid from a single-dose vial (sdv)

Explanation:

Identify the purpose of a filter needle

A filter needle contains a small built-in filter (typically 5 microns) designed to prevent glass particles, paint chips, or other microscopic debris from being drawn into a syringe or injected into a patient.

Analyze the compounding tasks

• Drawing up a viscous liquid: Requires a larger gauge needle to handle thickness, not a filter needle.
• Reconstituting a powdered drug: Uses a standard needle to inject diluent into a vial.
• Drawing up liquid from an ampule: Ampules are glass containers that must be snapped open, which frequently introduces microscopic glass shards into the fluid. A filter needle is mandatory here.
• Drawing fluid from a single-dose vial (SDV): Uses a standard needle as vials have rubber stoppers, not glass break points.

Apply sterile compounding principles

Using the Sterile Compounding knowledge point, we know that whenever fluid is withdrawn from a snapped glass ampule, a filter needle must be used to ensure patient safety by filtering out potential glass contaminants.

Answer:

• To draw up a viscous liquid
• To reconstitute a powdered drug
• To draw up liquid from an ampule (Correct answer)
• To draw fluid from a single-dose vial (SDV)