Multiple use of preservative-free single dose unit dexamethasone 0.1% eye drops is safe within 24 hours
Background Unpreserved single-dose unit (SDU) eye drops are commonly used to avoid benzalkonium chloride-related toxicity. Although intended for single use, many patients report off-label repeated use of SDUs over a prolonged period. We investigated whether repeated use of dexamethasone 0.1% SDUs in...
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| Language: | English |
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BMJ Publishing Group
2024-07-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open Ophthalmology |
| Online Access: | https://bmjophth.bmj.com/content/9/1/e001632.full |
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| author | Marco Rossi Michael A Thiel Frank Bochmann Philipp B Baenninger Claude Kaufmann Fabienne C Fierz Silvan Locher Lucas Bachmann Irena Mitrovic Jeremy P Howell |
| author_facet | Marco Rossi Michael A Thiel Frank Bochmann Philipp B Baenninger Claude Kaufmann Fabienne C Fierz Silvan Locher Lucas Bachmann Irena Mitrovic Jeremy P Howell |
| author_sort | Marco Rossi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background Unpreserved single-dose unit (SDU) eye drops are commonly used to avoid benzalkonium chloride-related toxicity. Although intended for single use, many patients report off-label repeated use of SDUs over a prolonged period. We investigated whether repeated use of dexamethasone 0.1% SDUs in the same patient increases the bacterial contamination rate.Methods We prospectively enrolled patients scheduled for inpatient corneal and glaucoma surgery receiving dexamethasone 0.1% SDU four times per day from the same vial. To assess contamination rates, one drop from the vial was cultured immediately after opening the SDU (t0), 10 hours later after four drop applications (t10) and 24 hours after opening without further drop applications (t24). Conjunctival swabs were taken before and after drop application. Contamination rate was assessed with a standard clinical culturing protocol without introducing a positive control.Results 110 eyes of 109 patients were evaluated. Drops collected immediately after opening the SDU (t0) were contaminated in 9/110 cultures (8.1%). At t10, 13/110 cultures were contaminated (11.8%; p=0.267) and 11/110 at t24 (10.0%; t24 vs t0; p=1.00). In 5 of 21 cases of contaminated drops at t10 and/or t24, the same isolates were cultured from the initial conjunctival swab and the SDU. In three cases, the same bacterial species was found in consecutive samples.Conclusion The contamination rate of the SDU did not increase after multiple use within 24 hours. Contamination from fingertip flora was more likely than from ocular surface flora. Reuse of dexamethasone 0.1% SDU in the same patient within 24 hours appears to be safe. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e99e74f63c3448878118939e78197f46 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2397-3269 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-07-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Open Ophthalmology |
| spelling | doaj-art-e99e74f63c3448878118939e78197f462025-02-06T08:35:11ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open Ophthalmology2397-32692024-07-019110.1136/bmjophth-2024-001632Multiple use of preservative-free single dose unit dexamethasone 0.1% eye drops is safe within 24 hoursMarco Rossi0Michael A Thiel1Frank Bochmann2Philipp B Baenninger3Claude Kaufmann4Fabienne C Fierz5Silvan Locher6Lucas Bachmann7Irena Mitrovic8Jeremy P Howell9Department of Infectiology and Hospital Hygiene, Cantonal Hospital Lucerne, Lucerne, SwitzerlandDepartment of Ophthalmology, Cantonal Hospital Lucerne, Lucerne, SwitzerlandDepartment of Ophthalmology, Cantonal Hospital Lucerne, Lucerne, SwitzerlandDepartment of Ophthalmology, Cantonal Hospital Lucerne, Lucerne, SwitzerlandDepartment of Ophthalmology, Cantonal Hospital Lucerne, Lucerne, SwitzerlandDepartment of Ophthalmology, Cantonal Hospital Lucerne, Lucerne, SwitzerlandDepartment of Ophthalmology, Cantonal Hospital Lucerne, Lucerne, SwitzerlandDepartment of Ophthalmology, Cantonal Hospital Lucerne, Lucerne, SwitzerlandMedical Microbiology, Cantonal Hospital Lucerne, Luzern, SwitzerlandDepartment of Ophthalmology, Cantonal Hospital Lucerne, Lucerne, SwitzerlandBackground Unpreserved single-dose unit (SDU) eye drops are commonly used to avoid benzalkonium chloride-related toxicity. Although intended for single use, many patients report off-label repeated use of SDUs over a prolonged period. We investigated whether repeated use of dexamethasone 0.1% SDUs in the same patient increases the bacterial contamination rate.Methods We prospectively enrolled patients scheduled for inpatient corneal and glaucoma surgery receiving dexamethasone 0.1% SDU four times per day from the same vial. To assess contamination rates, one drop from the vial was cultured immediately after opening the SDU (t0), 10 hours later after four drop applications (t10) and 24 hours after opening without further drop applications (t24). Conjunctival swabs were taken before and after drop application. Contamination rate was assessed with a standard clinical culturing protocol without introducing a positive control.Results 110 eyes of 109 patients were evaluated. Drops collected immediately after opening the SDU (t0) were contaminated in 9/110 cultures (8.1%). At t10, 13/110 cultures were contaminated (11.8%; p=0.267) and 11/110 at t24 (10.0%; t24 vs t0; p=1.00). In 5 of 21 cases of contaminated drops at t10 and/or t24, the same isolates were cultured from the initial conjunctival swab and the SDU. In three cases, the same bacterial species was found in consecutive samples.Conclusion The contamination rate of the SDU did not increase after multiple use within 24 hours. Contamination from fingertip flora was more likely than from ocular surface flora. Reuse of dexamethasone 0.1% SDU in the same patient within 24 hours appears to be safe.https://bmjophth.bmj.com/content/9/1/e001632.full |
| spellingShingle | Marco Rossi Michael A Thiel Frank Bochmann Philipp B Baenninger Claude Kaufmann Fabienne C Fierz Silvan Locher Lucas Bachmann Irena Mitrovic Jeremy P Howell Multiple use of preservative-free single dose unit dexamethasone 0.1% eye drops is safe within 24 hours BMJ Open Ophthalmology |
| title | Multiple use of preservative-free single dose unit dexamethasone 0.1% eye drops is safe within 24 hours |
| title_full | Multiple use of preservative-free single dose unit dexamethasone 0.1% eye drops is safe within 24 hours |
| title_fullStr | Multiple use of preservative-free single dose unit dexamethasone 0.1% eye drops is safe within 24 hours |
| title_full_unstemmed | Multiple use of preservative-free single dose unit dexamethasone 0.1% eye drops is safe within 24 hours |
| title_short | Multiple use of preservative-free single dose unit dexamethasone 0.1% eye drops is safe within 24 hours |
| title_sort | multiple use of preservative free single dose unit dexamethasone 0 1 eye drops is safe within 24 hours |
| url | https://bmjophth.bmj.com/content/9/1/e001632.full |
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