Back to Search
Start Over
Administration of anticancer drugs: exposure in hospital nurses.
- Source :
-
Clinical therapeutics [Clin Ther] 2014 Mar 01; Vol. 36 (3), pp. 401-7. Date of Electronic Publication: 2014 Mar 05. - Publication Year :
- 2014
-
Abstract
- Background: Even though anticancer drugs are prepared in dedicated pharmaceutical units, nurses remain exposed to cytotoxic agents during administration to patients.<br />Objective: The aim of this study was to assess this occupational exposure during the intravenous line-purging procedure at the patient's bedside before administration in oncology departments.<br />Methods: This prospective study was conducted over a 4-week period in the hematology and oncology departments at a university hospital. Amounts of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide on the surface of nurses' gloves were measured after the intravenous line purge of the infusion bag and the connection to the patient. For this purpose, gloves were washed with sterile water, following a validated procedure. Quantification of the 2 drugs into the water was performed using LC-MS/MS.<br />Results: After 59 chemotherapy administrations, 30.5% of gloves were contaminated. Despite extremely low volumes of contamination (0.08-6.28 µL), amounts collected ranged from 190 to 2500 ng per pair of gloves that tested positive for doxorubicin (median, 1600 ng) and from 130 to 32,600 ng with cyclophosphamide (median, 2700 ng).<br />Conclusions: The intravenous line purge preceding antineoplastic infusion bag administration is a potential source of contamination in nurses. Contaminations appear to be invisible but frequent (in >30% of cases). Therefore, intravenous line purging performed under appropriately safe conditions should be mandated in pharmaceutical units dedicated to injectable-drug preparation. This measure should be included as a standard hospital practice as a matter of urgency.<br /> (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier HS Journals, Inc. All rights reserved.)
- Subjects :
- Antineoplastic Agents analysis
Cyclophosphamide analysis
Doxorubicin analysis
Female
Gloves, Protective
Hospitals, University
Humans
Nursing Staff, Hospital
Prospective Studies
Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Administration, Intravenous nursing
Antineoplastic Agents administration & dosage
Equipment Contamination
Nurses
Occupational Exposure analysis
Occupational Exposure prevention & control
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1879-114X
- Volume :
- 36
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Clinical therapeutics
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 24612942
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinthera.2014.01.016