Purpose Of Using a Liquid Syringe Dispenser

Posted by neomedinc on April 10th, 2021

It is common enough to have a sick baby or low-weight infant in the NICU. Most pre-term babies are retained in this comforting environment that is made to resemble a mother’s womb. Unfortunately, the problems are too varied to warrant a single solution. Of particular interest is the challenge of feeding the newborn baby. Many of those born well before the term would be unable to suck at the mother’s breasts. This makes it imperative to employ a feeding tube with safety norms being ensured for all enteral applications.

A nurse or paramedic working within the NICU may be delegated to turn on the enteral feeding pump and replenish the syringe as and when needed. Sadly, the scenario inside the neonatal unit for emergencies resembles a battlefield on any given day. A stranger to the procedure would be shocked to find numerous pumps being hooked to the tiny body. This makes it impossible to discern the feeding system, with the possibility of mix-ups being greatly aggravated.

A single medical facility or clinic cannot be marked here. Medical professionals work under similar conditions across the world. The NICU is urged to follow the best safety practices so that the patient does not suffer or succumb due to a single mistake made by an overworked professional. The risks have been evident for long prompting, “The Joint Commission Journal of Quality and Patient Safety” to address the need to follow a foolproof patient safety procedure while using enteral feeding pumps. It urged the medical fraternity to come up with innovative solutions.

Following the guidelines put forward by the “Enteral Nutrition Practice Recommendations” helped to reduce the risks substantially. Since then, professionals and caregivers attending to gravely ill neonates in the NICU are advised to follow the recommended safety practices without exception. This list includes the following that happens to be sacrosanct with lapses being discouraged:

· All feeding devices, including the enteral tubes and syringes, need to be administered as advised. The professionals should not attempt to modify the system or adopt an IV device to feed the baby, leading to fatal consequences.

· The design of the tubes and the system as a whole should not be changed for personal convenience either.

· Syringe pumps used to feed a baby in the NICU should be marked and color-coded to become easily identifiable. Failing to do this may cause misconnections and use of IV syringe pumps for feeding that is sure to jeopardize the health of the patient

· It is mandatory for the concerned facility to source enteral feeding pumps and IV pumps in distinct colors and diverse models to easily distinguish between them.

· There should be absolutely no confusion even if the patient is connected to multiple tubes at a time. Labeling should be clear and precise to indicate the purpose of each device ideally.

The neonatal unit needs to make an effort to use a quality liquid syringe dispenser when administering medicine to a newborn baby.