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Biomedical subjects

C A Rupp

Publications and source records attributed to C A Rupp.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

Quality control of small-volume sterile products.

A method for bacterial surveillance of small-volume sterile products in hospitals was developed and tested. The criteria for the method of quality control were to: (1) assure detection of contamination associated with touch, which could occur during the filling process; (2) be economically feasible; (3) be simple and easy to implement; and (4) be versatile in adapting to small-volume sterile packages with and without needles. Ten percent of each lot of prepackaged unit dose syringes is tested by filtration through a sterile micropore filter. The filter unit is incubated after fluid thioglycollate medium has been added. If turbidity or color change is found, further testing with blood agar and gram staining is performed to identify the organism. The effectiveness of the method was tested by adding E. coli to one lot within each of several lots tested of six products. The inoculated samples were stored under refrigeration for three days before testing. With one exception, the E. coli was detected in the samples. Growth did not occur in any of the noninoculated units. The apparent false negative result was believed to be caused by the bacteriostatic agent killing the organism during the three-day storage period.

Drug Contamination↗

Effect of unit dose packaging of respiratory therapy medications on incidence of pulmonary infections.

The effect on pulmonary infection rate of using respiratory therapy medications packaged in unit dose syringes versus multiple-dose vials was studied. Study data were collected on 141 patients during a three-month period; 78 patients were treated with respiratory medications packaged exclusively in unit dose syringes, and the balance received medications from multiple-dose vials. Based on information collected from patient charts, the presence of definite or probable pulmonary infections was determined. Of the 83 patients who did not have pulmonary infections prior to therapy, 23% developed one; there was no significant difference in the incidence of infection according to type of medication packaging. Nor did packaging have a significant effect on the incidence of infection among the 39 patients who were predisposed to infection. Finally, method of packaging had no significant effect among the 58 patients who had an infection before therapy started. It is suggested that the decision to employ unit dose packaging for respiratory therapy medications must be based on factors other than the incidence of infection.

Bacterial Infections↗

Calcium and phosphorus in neonatal parenteral nutrition solutions.

Due to calcium and phosphorus solubility problems in parenteral nutrition solutions, it is difficult to provide the premature infant with enough of these two minerals for adequate bone mineralization. In order to determine the maximum amounts of both Ca and P soluble in neonatal parenteral nutrition solutions, we employed the following procedure: (1) using concentrations of dextrose 10 to 25% and amino acid 0.5 to 4.0% with standard electrolyte and vitamin concentrations, Ca and P additions were sequentially made to determine the critical concentrations at which precipitates formed; (2) the pH of each test solution was determined; (3) all test solutions were incubated for 30 hr at room temperature; (4) following incubation, all tests were visually observed for calcium-phosphate crystals; (5) the solutions not obviously precipitated were filtered using black Millipore filters to determine the presence of any microprecipitates. Multiple graphs of Ca and P solubility in various dextrose/amino acid solutions were prepared from data generated by the study. The Ca and P interaction is primarily pH sensitive. Factors affecting the solution pH include both dextrose and amino acid concentrations. Our study showed that increases in amino acid concentrations enabled us to increase both Ca and P in the solutions.

Amino Acids↗