Needle being attached to syringe and then inserted into vial / Using aseptic technique attach a sterile 19 or 21 gauge drawing up needle to a sterile syringe, and insert the needle through the rubber stopper into the vial.
Liquid flowing into syringe / Draw up the recommended dose using aseptic technique. Once a suitable vaccine has been developed and approved for use in Australia, dosage recommendations will be communicated by the Australian Government.
Syringe being disconnected from drawing up needle. / Remove the syringe from the drawing up needle taking care not to contaminate the top of the needle or the rubber stopper of the vial. Note that the drawing up needle remains in the multi dose vial. This is acceptable practice only when multiple doses are being drawn up in succession. Never leave a drawing up needle inserted into a multi dose vial once you have finished drawing up doses as it leaves the vial vulnerable to contamination.
New needle removed from packing and attached to filled syringe. / Attach a new sterile appropriately sized injection needle to the filled syringe ready for administration to the patient. Refer to the current edition of the Australian Immunisation Handbook for recommended needle size and length.
Pink label on syringe / Attach a pink, miscellaneous route label to the syringe ensuring all relevant sections are completed.
New syringe removed from packing and attached to drawing up needle. Liquid flowing into needle. Syringe being disconnected from drawing up needle.
New needle removed from packing and attached to filled syringe
Pink label on syringe
Process repeated again / Attach a new sterile syringe to the drawing up needle for each additional dose to be drawn up. This must be done without delay or distraction, using aseptic technique. A new sterile injection needle must be attached to each filled syringe ready for administration to the patient.
Once you have obtained the required number of doses, remove the needle and syringe from the top of the vial. Safely remove the drawing up needle from the syringe and discard the needle immediately into an approved sharps disposal container.
In summary the key things to remember are to:
- Clean the rubber stopper of the multi dose vial allowing time to dry before drawing up contents, and
- Never leave a drawing up needle inserted into a multi dose vial if you have finished drawing up because it leaves the vial vulnerable to contamination.