Is your hospital or medical facility shopping for a new supplier of pre-filled saline flush syringes? There are a lot of options on the market, so how do you know which ones meet the high product standards you want and expect? We’ve created a guide for how to shop for high-quality saline flushes, including tips on packaging, costs, product sterility assurance, and more.
Benefits of Pre-Filled Flush Syringes
There are some great advantages to choosing pre-filled IV flush syringes over manually prepared syringe use. Medical facilities are opting for pre-filled syringes with greater frequency because of their convenience, affordability, and safety. If you’re purchasing saline flushes for your medical facility, you may want to take these factors into account:
- Using pre-filled syringes saves time and allows for quicker drug administration, which can be critical in emergency situations.
- Pre-filled syringes are always accurately measured for correct dosage, reducing human error.
- Sterilized pre-filled saline flushes have a shelf-life of 2-3 years; a manually prepared syringe is only usable for hours.
- Using pre-filled saline flushes eliminates cross-infection from needle reuse.
- Manually prepared syringes require overfill of 20-30%, contributing to unnecessary product waste and higher costs.
Additionally, studies have shown that using pre-filled IV flush syringes reduces needlestick injuries thanks to their needle-free design. Since flushing time is shorter than it is with manually prepared syringes, pre-filled syringes increase the efficiency of patient care and reduce the workload of your care providers.
Retail versus Wholesale For Medical Facilities
Another consideration when choosing the best saline flush for your medical practice is your source. Pre-filled saline flush syringes can be purchased from both retail and wholesale sources. While the product itself might be equivalent, there are typically differences between the packaging, costs, and consistency of supply that might impact your purchasing decision.
Packaging
When you purchase your saline flushes from a retail source, such as a pharmacy or medical supply store, you are likely to pay a higher price because of costs associated with packaging and marketing. You might also be limited in the amount of supply that you can obtain from these sources. Further, there is generally much more packaging involved in retail supplies, as they are often packaged in smaller bundles. This can make them more difficult to store in facilities with limited space and adds to waste.
Cost
When you purchase wholesale saline flushes, prices are lower because you will be buying them in bulk and eliminating the retail price markup. Reduced packaging (with wholesale or manufacturer direct purchasing) helps to keep costs lower and make storage easier. You will likely have to place a standard minimum order when buying from a wholesaler or manufacturer, but for most medical facilities this is a benefit as it helps ensure that you have a plentiful on-hand supply.
Supply
Developing a relationship with a wholesale supplier or manufacturer can also help your medical facility avoid supply chain disruption, which can greatly impact your ability to provide the best patient care. Saline flushes are a high-volume supply for most medical facilities, so having access to a consistent supply is a critical need. This will also help prevent budget overages and allow for better budget planning.
Choosing Saline Flushes For Your Medical Facility
When you’re choosing which pre-filled saline flush syringes to use at your medical facility, it is imperative that you make sure the product you are selecting is guaranteed safe. Three things to look for are steam sterilization in the manufacturing process, individual wrapping, and labeling. Here’s why:
- Individual wrapping of your salines flushes is critical. Flushes in individual wrappers are protected from airborne particles. The product wrapping prevents accidental contamination while supplies are being accessed by care providers or distributed in your facility.
- Individually Labeled saline flushes are not just convenient, they also support best practices and safety – especially in critical and emergency settings. Individual wrapping labels prevent accidental dosage errors and allow your nurses and technicians to provide swift and efficient patient care.
- Steam Sterilization is the gold standard for achieving the highest and most reliable Sterility Assurance Level (SAL) for your saline flushes. Steam sterilizing will result in a 10-6 chance of a non-sterile unit present in or on the syringe. Chemical and radiation sterilization methods do not have a determinable SAL.
Isikel Pre-Filled Saline Flushes Are Coming Soon
Isikel is excited to soon be manufacturing pre-filled saline flushes in our brand new facility. Our goal is to provide a solution to supply chain disruptions that have caused many medical facilities to struggle with obtaining a consistent and reliable supply of saline flushes for a competitive price. Our saline flushes will meet all of the recommendations in this guide for choosing the best product for your medical practice or facility.
If you’d like to order saline flushes for your medical facility, contact us today to learn more.
Simon has held executive roles at Murata, Freescale, Motorola, Micron Technology, and Silterra. Responsibility for driving a $1.1B dollar technology startup Malaysia, Assuming five key roles in the organization. His accomplishments include:
- BS in Chemistry & Education from Colorado State University, MS Chemical & Petroleum Engineering from Colorado School of Mines, and MBA from the University of Phoenix.
- Leadership training in Statistical Analysis, 6-Sigma, Lean, Supply Chain, Strategy, Marketing, Business Development, and Technology Management.
- Engaged in over 30 technology commercialization’s both domestic and international developing novel methods, reliability, operations management, and process integration.