title: Lost bits: particle shedding with polyvinyl chloride intravenous administration sets.
abstract: Silicone particles have been demonstrated in the effluent from silicone intravenous (IV) tubing. It has been widely suspected that polyvinyl chloride (PVC) particles are also lost. We sought to clarify the situation in a carefully controlled laboratory setting using the apparatus and flow rates common in a paediatric setting, using scanning electron microscope techniques (SEM), we found that particles were indeed shed from IV tubing during use, but they were not PVC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic surgery, John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Subramanian
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ainsworth
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cassey
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Phelan
mesh_terms: D004866:Equipment Contamination; D005374:Filtration; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D010316:Particle Size; D011143:Polyvinyl Chloride
chemical_list: D011143:Polyvinyl Chloride