Ampules vs. Vials: Best Practices in Handling and Usage
Ampules are small cylindrical glass or plastic containers that store and preserve pharmaceutical drugs, chemicals, and other medical-related solid and liquid substances. Vials are like ampules, except they are larger, reusable containers. Since you must crack open ampules to access their contents, they are unusable afterward. Both ampules and vials, alongside other essential nursing supplies, are critical tools in medical and nursing education.
Medical and nursing students will gain much experience working with ampules and vials because they are commonly used to store medication. Below are the top six best 14 practices in handling and using ampules and vials.
1) Ampules are Better for Single-Dose Storage
Ampules are temporary containers meant for storing a single dose of medication. Each ampule container has a bottom vessel for storing the medicine, a sealed neck area above it, and an extended, narrow top portion.
When preparing an ampule, heat is applied to the neck area to seal it between the top and bottom portions of the container. To open the container, apply pressure to the top portion to crack it open at the neck. Then, you can access its contents through the newly opened neck area.
The bottom vessel of the ampule has enough storage space to hold one dose of a medication. Once used, throw away the ampule because the top has snapped off and cannot be put back on again. There is no way to screw it back on like you can with a vial container.
2) Sterilize the Vials
Vials are multi-dose medical containers. You can fill them up with medication, screw on the cap, and then store them safely. When ready to use a vial, apply pressure to the cap as you twist it simultaneously. The cap should come off if you do it correctly. Then, you can access the contents inside the vial.
Vials are reusable, so you do not have to throw away a vial after using its medicinal contents. However, you must clean and sterilize the vial before adding new medicine to the container. Otherwise, you could contaminate the vial with other medicine unrelated to the new medicine you add next time. Unintentionally combining medicine is never suitable for the patient who consumes it.
There are a few ways to sterilize vials. The most popular way is to put the used vials in a hot air oven or autoclave and set it to a temperature of 320°F. Leave the vials in there for about 2 to 3 hours. Most doctors and scientists believe heat is the most effective sterilization method for glass vials.
On the other hand, excessive heat could melt the plastic and ruin the vials if you need to sterilize plastic vials. You are better off using a chemical-based sterilizer like hydrogen peroxide, isopropyl alcohol, or bleach to sterilize the vials. If you still want a heat-based method, put the plastic vials into boiling water for 5 to 10 minutes. Afterward, use soap and water to wash the vials and rinse away the soap suds.
3) Ampules are Better for Preventing Contamination
Ampules do better at preventing contamination because the neck is moulded shut with a heat application. No one will be opening and closing ampule caps repeatedly, as you see with the screwable caps of vial containers. Ampules are sealed airtight for as long as the neck remains uncracked. That means there is no risk of any contamination whatsoever.
For this reason, ampules are better for storing more sensitive medicines and chemicals with unstable compounds. Their robust sealant protection helps ensure that no oxygen or contaminants will mix with the unstable compounds and cause an adverse reaction. Just try to access the contents within a reasonable time because ampules are not meant for long-term storage.
4) Vials are Better for Storing Stable Chemical Compounds
Stable compounds do not react when exposed to oxygen or most contaminants. That is why vials are better for storing medicines and chemicals with stable compounds since opening and closing the cap will not cause an adverse reaction. Some examples of stable compounds include silver nitrate, carbon monoxide, copper oxide, zinc sulphate, sodium chloride, and water.
Theoretically, you could store stable compounds inside ampules, but you won’t have as much storage space as you would with vials. So, you might as well use vials to hold multiple doses of medicine and other critical substances with stable compounds.
5) Use Syringes for Exact Measurements to Fill the Containers
Syringes are the most common medical instrument used to obtain exact measurements of liquid substances to add to ampules and vials. The ampules begin with open necks for inserting liquid medicines or other substances into them. After inserting the liquid, the existing air is extracted from the ampules, and the neck is sealed with a heat application. As for the vials, you can unscrew the cap and inject the liquid substances into them as needed. There is no threat from air exposure here.
6) How to Snap the Neck of an Ampule Properly
Be careful when snapping the neck of an ampule because improperly opening it could cause its liquid contents to splash out. Don’t leave it open for too long because the exposure to oxygen could cause an adverse reaction and ruin the contents inside.
The best way to open an ampule is to gently rub a nail file around the neck to give it a light scratch. Then, gently wipe the ampule with a fresh alcohol swab until the exterior is clean. Next, ensure all the liquid contents sit at the bottom of the ampule. No liquid should be in the top portion. If there is, flick the top portion with your finger a few times to knock the liquid droplets down into the bottom portion.
Grab a gauze pad and use it to grip the top portion of the ampule. The gauze should wrap around the entire top half as you grip it with your fingers tightly. Use your other hand to grip the bottom half of the ampule firmly. Use your fingers to pull and bend the top portion toward your direction until it snaps off. Be prepared for the possibility of broken glass pieces flying out.
7) Inspect the Ampules and Vials Before Using Them
Don’t just start using ampules and vials without inspecting them first. You never know who may have been messing with them before.
Inspect your ampules and vials for defects, such as chips, cracks, or other signs of damage or deterioration. It is common for older or poorly stored ampules and vials to suffer these issues. Once they do, they are no longer sufficient for medical use. You must throw them away and obtain new ones.
Another part of your inspection should involve checking your reusable vials for cloudiness, discoloration, or particulate matter from the last time they were used. If you see anything like this, it indicates the vials have been contaminated due to the lack of sterilization since the last time they were used. Only use sterilized and uncontaminated vials.
8) Use a Filter Needle to Extract Liquid Medication from Ampules
Tiny glass pieces can get into the liquid medication after snapping open an ampule. The last thing you would want is for tiny glass particles to be inside the medication when it is extracted with the syringe because that could substantially harm the patient.
An effective way to avoid this problem is to use a filter needle on the end of the syringe to prevent glass contamination in the medication solution. As the name indicates, the filter needle is designed to stop tiny glass particles and other contaminants from entering the syringe when extracting medication from the ampules.
So, keep a sterilized filter needle readily available to use with your ampule extractions.
9) Check the Expiration Dates on the Vials and Ampules
Did you know that vials and ampules have expiration dates? Many students assume that they will remain useable forever, especially the unused ampules. The truth is that it can be dangerous to use vials and ampules after their manufacturer’s recommended expiration dates have passed.
Generally, unopened ampules have a shelf life of anywhere from 1 to 5 years. Of course, you should follow the manufacturer’s recommendations of how to store the ampules properly to maximize their lifespan.
Reusable vials typically expire after 28 days from the time they are first used. Although the manufacturer may have a different expiration date, the average length of time it is safe to keep using the same vials is about 28 days.
10) Do Not Vigorously Shake the Vials or Ampules
It is never a good idea to vigorously or aggressively shake the vials or ampules because this could cause an adverse reaction to the medication solution in them. Shaking can also compromise the stability and viability of certain medications, as bubbles and other adverse chemical reactions might form.
For instance, some vial or ampule medications contain solid particles. Shaking the vials or ampules could cause those solid particles to detach from the liquid medicines, which means the active ingredients cannot be distributed evenly to the patient.
All students should learn to handle their vials and ampules with care and gentleness for the sake of the medication and the patients receiving it. Don’t forget that ampules can easily break if they are mishandled. And once they break open, they cannot be used.
11) Verify the Correct Dosage in the Ampules and Vials
Ampules and vials come in all different sizes. Before administering medication from an ampule or vial to a patient, you must verify the dosage amounts are correct.
Review the information on the medical label of each ampule or vial to verify the medication's dosage. If the vial is reusable, the liquid storage capacity should be printed on the label. If there is more medication in the vial than you need to administer to the patient, use the measurements on the syringe to extract the proper dosage amount.
12) Dispose of the Ampules and Vials Properly
A common mistake that medical and nursing students make is improperly disposing of the ampules and vials. The standard procedure for disposing of ampules and vials is to put them in a sharps container.
A sharps container is a special medical-grade container designed for disposing and storing sharp medical items, such as glass ampules and vials. That way, the waste management workers don’t accidentally cut themselves from the small sharp edges of the glass or risk contamination.
13) Wear Protective Gear
Doctors and medical professionals don’t always wear protective gear, such as gloves and goggles, to protect themselves from the small glass pieces of the ampules after snapping them open. However, nursing students should wear goggles to protect their eyes and gloves to protect their hands when practicing with ampules for the first time.
Protective gear can reduce the risk of injury for new students who have little to no experience snapping open ampules.
14) Insert the Needle into the Vial at an Angle
Coring is a common problem that happens when inexperienced students attempt to insert a needle into a vial to draw medication. If the needle does not penetrate the rubber stopper of the vial correctly, it will cause rubber fragments from the stopper to contaminate the medication.
You can prevent coring by inserting the needle into the vial at a 45-degree angle and then slowly increasing it to a 90-degree angle as you allow the needle to penetrate the rubber stopper. It may take some practice to do it right.
Conclusion
Keep your ampules and vials stored in a dry, well-ventilated location at room temperature. Remember to label your ampules and vials with the proper details regarding their contents. That way, you can prevent the risk of someone using the contents without knowing what it is.