| Healthcare sectors have already published safety | | | | portion is called a female luer-lock. There is also a |
| guidelines to minimize the scale of contamination of | | | | valve disposed within the luer-lock-bearing |
| workers exposed to hazardous drugs. The growing | | | | member for controlling fluid flow from the bottom |
| concern on the safety of these workers enabled | | | | portion to the top portion. This valve gets opened by |
| healthcare organizations to adopt needle-less | | | | the attachment of the needle-less syringe to the vial |
| systems, which will provide safety to workers | | | | adapter. |
| against accidental injuries from needles. | | | | This vial adapter is designed to fit all standard |
| A vial adapter is one such safety device, suitable for | | | | syringes and is an approved, non-sharp plastic device |
| use in transferring fluid from a vial to a needle-less | | | | that replaces a fill needle for accessing medication |
| syringe. It has its top end sealed with a septum. Its | | | | vials making syringe filling completely needle-free. |
| body has a top end, a bottom end and an inner | | | | Thus, it is a convenient method for the withdrawal of |
| cavity. The inner cavity is dimensioned to receive the | | | | medication and the transfer of drugs for |
| vial, with the bottom end of the body extending | | | | reconstitution without the use of a needle. |
| below the bottom end of the vial. There is a | | | | Studies have shown that healthcare workers suffer |
| needle-bearing member mounted within the body, | | | | numerous injuries from conventional needles and |
| comprising a hollow needle extending downwardly | | | | sharps annually. These exposures can lead to |
| into the inner cavity of the body for puncturing the | | | | hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV infections. Therefore, |
| septum of a vial disposed in the inner cavity. | | | | vial adapter is a complement to healthcare |
| A luer-lock-bearing member mounted on the top end | | | | organizations and is aimed at providing injection |
| of the body is also present. It has a top portion and | | | | systems that use no needles at all, removing the risk |
| a bottom portion separated by a radial wall. The top | | | | of needle stick injuries. |