The safe use of disposable syringes in anesthesia: cost effective or costly?

Many anesthesia practitioners reuse disposable syringes and multidose drug vials from case to case despite the known hazards of blood-borne disease transmission. This practice may be hazardous to both patients and practitioners. Microscopic amounts of blood in the intravenous tubing can cause contamination of syringes, needles, and drug vials. Contaminated multidose vials have been associated with the transmission of both hepatitis B and bacterial infections. This article examines the potential risks of contamination from the reuse of disposable syringes and the myth about the cost savings of this practice.