Needleless dispensing pin with 1-way valve does not decrease bacterial contamination of communal-use intravenous fluid bags in simulated clinical scenario.

Needleless dispensing pins with 1-way valves do not significantly reduce bacterial contamination of communal-use IV fluid bags.

This study evaluated whether a needleless dispensing pin (test port) equipped with a 1-way valve could reduce bacterial contamination of communal-use intravenous fluid bags in a simulated clinical environment. Thirty paired sets of 1,000 mL 0.9% NaCl bags were hung in an anesthesia induction area, with each pair consisting of a control bag (sampled via native puncture port) and a test bag (sampled via the 1-way valved port). Fluid samples were collected three times daily over 10 consecutive days, and port surface swabs plus 50 mL fluid samples were submitted for bacterial culture on days 0, 2, 4, 7, and 10. Results demonstrated no statistically significant difference in mean total CFU between control (0.0955 CFU) and test (0.0897 CFU) groups. While fluid CFU trended lower in the test group (0.0028 vs. 0.1209 CFU), and port CFU trended higher (0.1567 vs. 0.07 CFU), neither difference reached significance. Overall contamination occurred at 8.17% of sample points (49/600), with Staphylococcus spp. and Micrococcus luteus being the predominant isolates. These findings suggest that the 1-way valved dispensing pin does not meaningfully reduce bacterial contamination compared to the standard puncture port. Clinicians should not consider this device a reliable infection control measure for communal-use IV fluid bags and should implement other aseptic protocols to minimize contamination risk.

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