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#BDSafetySwitch

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You have the power to activate the safety switch

Start building a safer culture
#BDSafetySwitch

What is the safety switch?

Safety hazards occur throughout patient treatment and across the hospital. Drugs can become contaminated.1 Needles contaminated with an infected patient's blood can transmit diseases, including hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).2 And, misconnection errors can happen.3,4,5,6 These are just a few of the hazards that threaten healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients alike.

The safety switch is about creating a culture that supports you in making better choices every day to protect patients and your team. Making a safer future is central to everything we do at BD, which is why we are the right partner to help you switch to products with integrated safety features.

At BD, we help protect healthcare workers from safety hazards, supporting efforts to alleviate staff shortages and improve staff satisfaction.

Preventing needlestick injuries

Altogether, healthcare workers suffer more than 2 million occupational exposures to sharp injuries every year globally, resulting in around 66,000 cases of hepatitis B infection,2 among other diseases.

BD® Eclipse™ Needles incorporate BD's specially designed SmartSlip™ technology—a safety mechanism that also connects to Luer Slip syringes. The safety shield flips down to cover the needle after use, preventing accidental injury.

Reducing the inaccurate medication delivery

The US Food and Drug Administration warns that using syringes that are incompatible with a syringe pump can potentially result in inaccurate fluid delivery, as well as insufficient sensing of a blockage (occlusion) in the line.7

Drug delivery can be affected when using a syringe pump with non-validated or incorrect syringes.8 Blockages or low flow rates can lead to serious consequences, including loss of sedation during anaesthesia.7

Offering the products with integrated safety features

Choosing a compatible, validated syringe can help minimise false alarms and care disruptions.7,8 BD® Plastipak™ Syringes have been tested by most pump manufacturers and meet IEC 60601-2-24 international standards for accuracy, flow rates, and safety.

Designed for use in Total Intravenous Anaesthesia (TIVA), BD® TIVA Administration Sets are used with a target-controlled infusion (TCI) pump.

TIVA offers several advantages over inhaled volatile anaesthesia,9,10 including improved neuromonitoring during surgery, reduced post-operative nausea, and better recovery quality. BD® TIVA sets aim to promote patient safety and are easy to use, featuring anti-siphon valves to prevent drug backflow and kink-resistant microbore tubing to avoid occlusions.

Reducing misconnections errors

Misconnection errors occur when neuraxial or intravenous routes are incorrectly used to deliver medication. These errors can have devastating consequences, including permanent nerve injury, paraplegia, and even death.3,4,5

A 2021 literature review reported that between 1 in 25 and 1 in 250 intravenous (IV)-related medication errors were the result of misconnections. These errors carry a high burden in terms of morbidity and mortality.11

BD® NRFit™ devices are designed to prevent misconnection errors. Made in accordance with the ISO 80369-612 international standard, NRFit™ syringes for anaesthesia are incompatible with connectors used in other applications, ensuring they cannot be connected accidentally.

Receive your BD safety switch guide and 10 safety recommendations from pump to patient

References

  1. Chiannilkulchai N, Kelkornkaew S. Safety concerns with glass particle contamination: improving the standard guidelines for preparing medication injections. International Journal of Quality in Health Care (2021).
  2. Bouya S, Balouchi A, Rafiemanesh H. et al. Global Prevalence and Device Related Causes of Needle Stick Injuries among Health Care Workers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Ann. Glob. Health 86(1): 35 (2020). 
  3. Ajmal M. Accidental Intrathecal Injection of Aminophylline in Spinal Anesthesia. Anesthesiology, V 114 (2011).
  4. Colak A, Ege T, Arar C, Yuksel V, Duran E. A Severe Complication of Accidental Epidural Administration of Glutaraldehyde. Trakya Univ Tip Fak Derg 2009;26(1):83-86.
  5. Koczmara C, Hyland S, Cheng R. Epidural medications given intravenously may result in death. Canadian Association of Critical Care Nurses CACCN (2007).
  6. Litman RS, Smith VI, Mainland P. New solutions to reduce wrong route medication errors. Pediatr Anesth. 2018;28:8 – 12. https: / /doi .org /10 .1111 /pan .13279.
  7. US Food and Drug Administration. Syringe pump problems with fluid flow continuity at low infusion rates can result in serious clinical consequences: FDA safety communication. Available at: HYPERLINK "https://wayback.archive-it.org/7993/20171115052211/https:/www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/Safety/AlertsandNotices/ucm518049.htm" Safety Communications > Syringe Pump Problems with Fluid Flow Continuity at Low Infusion Rates Can Result in Serious Clinical Consequences: FDA Safety Communication (2016).
  8. Tooke LJ, Howell L. Syringe drivers: incorrect selection of syringe type from the syringe menu may result in significant errors in drug delivery. Anaesth Intensive Care. 2014 Jul;42(4):467.72.doi:10.1177/0310057X1404200407.PMID:24967761.
  9. Wong, G.T.C., Choi, S.W., Tran, D.H., Kulkarni, H. & Irwin, M.G. An international survey evaluating factors influencing the use of total intravenous anaesthesia. Anaesth. Intensive Care 46(3): 332–338 (2018).
  10. Johnson, K.B. Advantages, Disadvantages, and Risks of TIVA/TCI. In: Absalom, A., Mason, K. (eds) Total Intravenous Anesthesia and Target Controlled Infusions. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47609-4_32 (2017).
  11. Viscusi, E.R., Hugo, V., Hoerauf, K., Southwick, FS. Neuraxial and peripheral misconnection events leading to wrong-route medication errors: a comprehensive literature review. Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine 46:176–181 (2021).
  12. HYPERLINK "https://www.iso.org/standard/85462.html" ISO 80369-6:2025 - Small bore connectors for liquids and gases in healthcare applications — Part 6: Connectors for neural applications.
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