Aseptic Technique and USP 797
 Definitions
 Asepsis is the state of being free from the presence of
pathogenic microorganisms.
 Sepsis is the state of being contaminated by pathogenic
microorganisms
 Septicemia is the presence of microorganisms in the blood
 Septic shock is the condition of overwhelming infection of
the blood by septicemia.
 Aseptic technique is the procedure used to maintain an
aseptic environment in which to compound sterile products
CSP’s
 Aseptic technique strives to maintain surgical asepsis.
(meaning complete sterility and lack of endotoxin )
USP 797 rules
 United States Pharmacopeia 797 chapter on
compounding of sterile products (CSP) was published
in the 27th revision to USP on January 1st, 2004
 USP 797 is applicable to all facilities where
compounded sterile products (CSP) are made, stored
and sent to the patient
 USP 797 applies to the aseptic technique used to make
CSPs as well as the environment in which it is done
(secondary engineering controls)
Microbial Risk Levels in USP 797
 Low risk CSP
 Made under ISO5 conditions
 Involves aseptic transfer of manufacturer based sterile products using sterile
equipment (i.e Needles and syringes) to compound IV admixtures. Does not
involve open systems and no more than 3 components
 Medium Risk CSP
 Same as Low risk CSP but additionally
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More than three components are a part of the IV admixture (i.e TPN’s)
CSP don’t contain antimicrobial preservative and product is given over more than 2
days
Complex preparation involved
 High Risk CSP
 Same as Low risk CSP but additionally
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Compounding of manufactured ingredients that are non sterile and then performing
terminal sterilization
Performing compounding in condition outside ISO5
Risk Levels and Expiration Dating
 Low Risk CSP
 In the absence of sterility testing
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48 hrs at room temperature
14 days under refrigeration
45 days frozen state
 Medium Risk CSP
 30 hrs at room temperature
 7 days at refrigeration
 45 days at a frozen state
 High Risk CSP
 24 hours at room temperature
 72 hours refrigerated
 45 days at a frozen state.
Hospital Compounding
 For the most part you may be preparing only low or
medium risk CSP’s
 Example of a low risk CSP
 Making a 50 ml SVP with 1 gram of vancomycin under ISO5
conditions
 Example of a medium risk CSP
 Compound a triple mix TPN with additional additives of
insulin, multiple vitamin injections, and other electrolytes
 Example of high risk CSP
 Compounding a sterile ophthalmic solution from a
manufactured product that is not sterile and passing solution
through a 0.22 micron filter several times
Air Quality and Cleanness
 ISO stands for international organization for
standardization
 ISO was formed in 1947 in Geneva Switzerland
 Provides different levels of air quality cleanness
 ISO 5 means no more than 100,000 particulates 0.1
micrometer or larger per cubic meter. By contrast,
room air is classified as ISO9 which is no more than
1,000,000,000 particulates per cubic meter. (a ten
thousand fold difference)
Anteroom
 Usually consists of a storage area, an area for records,
computers and printers, an buffer area for gowning
 Has ISO class 8 standard (i.e 10X cleanner than normal
room air)
 Has a sink equipped with surgical scrub soap
(Chlorhexidine), and has handfree or pedal activated water
systems
 Has the following characteristics:
 Smooth walls with panels locked and sealed
 Vinyl covered floor with seals heated together
 Joints and junctures between walls and ceilings must be
chauked with no visible cracks.
Clean Room
 The room where the LAFW hoods are located
 Means same physical characteristics as anteroom
 No sinks and floor drains
 If facility only compounds low and/or medium risk CSPs
the clean and ante rooms need not be separated. Area
immediately next to LAFW hoods is called buffer area
 If all risk levels are compounded clean and ante rooms
must be separated.
 Must be maintained as a positive room air pressure
environment if separated.
Maintaining of ante and
Cleanrooms
 Cleaning daily by shifts
 Cleaning of all floor surfaces daily from the buffer area
outwards, from the clean room out to anteroom.
 Cleaning and disinfection of all shelving surfaces at
least monthly
 Documentation of such maintained
Laminar Air Flow Hoods and
Workbenchs
 LAFH and workbenchs are designed to blow parallel sheets of sterilized clean
air over a work surface
 The hood is usually washed and disinfected with 70% isopropranol by a
pharmacist at the beginning and end of the shift. Washing is from top to
bottom of the hood and back to front in the direction of laminar flow.
 HEPA filters remove over 99% of particles, including microorganism 0.3
microns or larger. When cleaning the HEPA filter grill do not spray the filter
always spray the sterile gauze pads and clean the surface of the grill
 If the HEPA Laminar flow hood is turn off for any reason then it must be turn
on for at least 30 minutes before commencing any IV preparation.
 Horizontal Laminar Flow Hood: the HEPA filter is at the back of the hood and
blows laminar air towards the operator
 Vertical Laminar Flow Hoods: the HEPA filter is on the top of the hood and
laminar air flow sheets are blown to the work surface and not to the operator
 Also called a biological safety cabinet
 Must be recertified every 6 months
Preparing to make an IV product
 Enter the cleanroom with slow and deliberate movement. Remove
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jewelry and tie back loose hair.
Put on shoe coverings (booties) and then proceed to anteroom.
In anteroom, perform antiseptic washing of hands which includes
washing hands and washing between fingers as well as using fingernail
buffer pad to clean under the fingernails. Wash hands up to the elbows
and rinse hands first allowing water to drip down to elbows.
Don surgical gown, hair cap, beard cover (if needed) and surgical mask
if working with a hood with no front panel.
Gather syringes, needles, IV bags (with cover removed)
Perform second antiseptic handwash.
Donn powder free surgical latex gloves
Enter Buffer zone
Place all products into the laminar flow hood.
 Remove all caps to vials. Swab each vial with alcohol
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swab from back to front once with swab.
Swab medication port of the IV bag that you will use.
All products should be 6 inches inside the hood.
Arrange materials in such as way as to not block any of
the laminar flow air currents.
Once inside the hood, your hands should not leave the
inside of the hood. If they do you will need to sanitize
your gloves before returning to the hood area.
Always remember not to touch critical areas
 The following are critical areas which must not be
touched.
 All parts of the needle.
 The hub of a luer lok syringe
 The ribs of the piston of the syringe.
 The injection port of the IV bag.
 The rubber entry port of the vial
 Remember, touch is the number one cause of product
contamination.
 Human skin harbors many organisms: Staphylococci,
Streptococci, Actinobacter, Candida, Tricophyton
Rubrum fungi, Pseudomonas, etc.
 Contaminated IV products can cause bacteremia and
fungemia, septic shock and death.
 I will demonstrate aseptic technique in class with
reference to drug manipulation.
The Finished products
 If you are a pharmacy technicians that will be performing
IV admixtures. Always leave the following item for the
RPH to check:
 All vials used in the process
 All syringes used in the process drawn back to the volume you
used.
 All information recorded in the IV prep log book: Patient’s
name, medical record number, drugs, concentrations,
volumes used, lot number and manufacturer’s expiration.
 Assigned a pharmacy expiration date (usually 24 hours at
room temperature)
IV products continued
 ALL Intravenous products must be clear to the eye.
Cloudiness or discoloration could indicate a physical or
chemical incompatibility.
 Cloudiness indicates a drug has “come out” or precipitated
out of solution. One example of this is mixing phenytoin
sodium (Dilantin®) in D5W solution. A cloudy haze forms
in the IV bag on standing.
 A second example is in TPN, addition of calcium gluconate in
a solution of high phosphate can cause calcium phosphate to
“come out” of solution
 A third example is excessive shaking and agitation of a
solution of mannitol. Mannitol’s needle like crystals can be
seen after such agitation.
A great reference to use to determine drug-drug, drug-IV
solution compatibilities is a book called, Trissel’s
Handbook on Injectable Drugs®
Common causes of physical and chemical incompatibilities
are:
 Drugs mixed in low pH solutions, like D5W
 Drugs mixed in hypertonic solutions, like D5WNS
 Drugs mixed in incorrect IV mediums. Such drugs are not
compatibility in the PVC container of an IV bags; these drug
are mixed in glass IV containers. A class example is
nitroglycerin which is used for patients with acute MI.
 Drugs mixed with other drugs that “complex” each other.
Routes of IV administration
 As mentioned before, the most common routes of IV
administration are IV push, Primary IV infusion, and IV
piggyback.
 In IV push, the luer lok of a syringe is attached directly to the
patient’s intravenous access and slowly “pushed” in by
pressing on the syringe barrel. It may also by given through a
Y site on a primary IV line with a fluid running IV solution.
 Primary IV infusion, the drug admixture is a large volume
parenteral IV bag that is run through a dedicated IV line.
 In IV piggyback, the drug admixture is a small volume
parenteral that is infusion through a secondary line into a
primary one through a Y site connection.
Other Parenteral routes
 Epidural routes are IV catheters that are tunneled into a
patient’s back near the spinal cord of the patient. Meant to
deliver opiates and other pain medications to post op
patients and obstetric patients. Solutions made for epidural
use must be made from preservative free drug products.
 Intrathecal injections are made into the spinal cord. The
needle passes through the dura mater into the
subarachnoid space. This method is used to administer
spinal opiates at doses far below regular IV doses. It is also
used to deliver chemotherapy with methothexate and in
the delivery of a drug called baclofen to patients with
severe cerebral palsy.
 Some drugs given this way can be fatal. An example is the
drug Vincristine.