To give an injection or extract a cosmetic product, you must first open the ampoule. And difficulties may arise already at this stage. To avoid them, find out important rules such a seemingly simple manipulation.
How to open ampoules correctly?
How to quickly and correctly open an ampoule of medicine? If the drug is imported, then most likely you will have in your hands a container with a dot or a mark, and such a mark is applied in the thinnest part of the glass. That is, it is in this place that the break needs to be made. First, it is better to wipe the ampoule with alcohol, then wrap it in a paper napkin or disk, and only then break off the upper narrow part in one sharp movement. You can then use the content.
If there is no mark on the ampoule, but the kit includes a special file intended for opening, then you need to use it. Take the container in one hand (preferably the left if the right is the working one), and control the nail file with the other hand. Begin filing the glass with confident movements. As soon as you see a clear notch formed during the sawing process, you can open the container. For this, also use a napkin or cotton pad.
If you are using a serum or other cosmetic product, then there may not be any notches or files included in the kit. But you can completely do without marks and additional devices, using improvised materials. So, it is most convenient to use a nail file, but it should be metal and thin. If you don't have one, use a pocket knife or small kitchen knife, but be very careful not to cut yourself. And before manipulation, any of the items must be disinfected!
How to store an opened ampoule?
How long can an open ampoule be stored? It all depends on its content. Thus, complex multi-component medications, as a rule, cannot be stored, so it is best to select a suitable volume and use it completely at one time, since it is unlikely to be possible to ensure tightness and sterility. And some substances are destroyed or change properties and structure when interacting with oxygen. And if you use an unsterile, expired or altered drug, you can not only negate its effectiveness, but also cause harm to health or even pose a threat to life.
If you use a cosmetic product or use the drug not for injection, but for other purposes, for example, for oral administration, adding to cosmetics or making masks for the face and body, then storage is allowed, but it has several rules.
- First, close the container. To do this, the hole can be sealed with a plaster or tape, but you should not cover it with cotton wool, as lint may get into the solution, which is undesirable.
- Secondly, it is best to put the ampoule in the refrigerator and warm it to room temperature before use.
- And thirdly, carefully read the instructions before storing. In any case, you should not use the drug after more than three days.
Tip: you can use a syringe for storage, since this container is sealed and sterile inside. Open the ampoule, draw its contents into a syringe and put it in the refrigerator. It is also better to stick a piece of paper with the date the container was opened so as not to exceed the expiration date.
- Calculate your strength and do not squeeze the ampoule very hard so as not to accidentally crush it, otherwise fragments will get inside or cut your hands.
- It is better to carry out all manipulations with rubber gloves that will protect you from cuts. And if you use disposable ones, they will ensure sterility and prevent pathogenic microorganisms from entering the drug from your hands.
- Before opening the ampoule, shake it or gently tap the top with your finger several times to allow the contents to flow down.
- The direction of the fracture is important. It is better to open the ampoule away from you, and not towards you.
- It is best to open the ampoule, that is, break off the top part working hand, while the other should securely hold the container.
- To avoid contamination due to accidental splashing of the product, as well as the spread of possible fragments, it is better to keep the ampoule over some container, table or sink, depending on where you are performing the opening.
- Before opening, carefully examine the ampoule from all sides to find out if there is a mark on its neck. The dot or stripe may be small and unnoticeable, so it is better to be careful.
- Hold the container securely so that its contents do not accidentally spill.
Now you can quickly open the ampoule in any conditions and save its contents.
First of all, you need to open the ampoule correctly. There are two types of ampoules according to the opening method:
- traditional ones, which require a notch on the neck;
- with a point where the glass cone is broken.
First you need to determine the type of ampoule. This is usually not written on the packaging. But a quick glance at the glass flask is enough to understand whether it is traditional or not.
The dot can be black, red or another color. If it is not on the neck, then to open it you need a special nail file, which is hidden under the top lid of the package. This file has the shape of a circle with a cut out segment, the edges of which are covered with abrasive material.
The sequence of opening the ampoule includes the following steps:
1) sawing is done with abrasive edges along one side of the neck;
2) without unnecessary effort, apply a nail file 3-4 times along the selected side of the ampoule;
3) then you need to moisten a cotton pad or ball in an antiseptic;
4) with one hand the base of the cone with the medicine is held, and the thumb and index fingers of the second hand grasp the protrusion of the ampoule;
5) to avoid injuring your fingers, cotton wool is used;
6) the break is made by a sharp movement of the hand in the direction opposite to where there is a cut.
This is the correct sequence for opening a medical ampoule. However, the nail file may get lost. Then a nail file from a cosmetic set or a piece of sandpaper will serve as a replacement. Be sure to wipe the cut area with alcohol or another antiseptic to prevent microorganisms from entering the preparation.
Some manufacturers produce more advanced solutions - with a marker. In this case, the opening process is simplified and includes the following steps:
- the cone marker is directed towards itself;
- The ampoule opens with a slight movement of the hand away from you.
In this case, there is no need to use cotton wool, since the risk of injury is minimal.
Then the drug is drawn into a syringe, air is released and an injection is made into the muscle. The injection site is disinfected before this. The solution is injected smoothly, after which the needle is removed and a cotton ball is applied in its place.
Sterile drugs for injection are usually available in ampoules - hermetically sealed glass containers. In order to draw the medicine into the syringe, you need to open the ampoule by breaking its upper tip. Usually, for these purposes, a special nail file is included with the ampoules, but what to do if it is not there?
How to open an ampoule without a nail file? If you received a set of ampoules without a nail file, the first thing you need to do is figure out what type of ampoules you got. There are ampoules that do not require a nail file to open. On the neck of such an ampoule there should be a mark in the form of a dot or a rim, indicating the break line. The glass from which the ampoule is made is thinner in this place, so the tip should break off without difficulty.
To open such an ampoule, the first thing you need to do is disinfect it at the break point. First, wipe it with a cotton wool soaked in medical alcohol, and then with dry sterile cotton wool so that the ampoule is not slippery. After this, wrap the top of the ampoule with sterile cotton wool and, with light pressure, break it off away from you.
Ampoules with a mark should be opened with a slight movement, so no additional tools(for example, pliers) are not necessary. When opening an ampoule using “force” methods, there is a high risk of crushing the glass, as a result the sterility of the drug will be compromised, and you may be injured by fragments.
If there is no mark on the ampoule, a special file (ampoule knife or ampoule scarifier) is needed to open it. Using this file, a notch is made on the ampoule, along which its top is broken off.
If there is no file (say, you bought one or two ampoules of medicine at the pharmacy instead of a whole package, and they didn’t give you a file), you can try to file the ampoule using available tools.
A metal nail file is best suited for these purposes. Disinfect the file with alcohol, press it to the neck of the ampoule at an angle of 45 degrees and carefully file the ampoule in a circle. Choose the location of the cut so that it is convenient to break off the tip, but it should not be too low.
After this, you need to repeat the same steps as when opening the ampoule with a mark: disinfect and carefully break off the tip along the cut line in the direction away from you, wrapping it with a cotton swab or napkin.
You can also use a kitchen knife to open the ampoule, although it is less suitable for this purpose than a manicure file. Using a sharp knife (pre-disinfected, of course), make several cuts in different directions at the intended location of the break, then proceed according to the standard pattern.
Using “artisanal” methods, it is better to wrap the ampoule with a cloth napkin or a thin towel instead of cotton wool: this will help to better protect yourself from fragments if the ampoule does burst. As with labeled ampoules, pliers, tongs, and other household tools should not be used to open the ampoule.
After breaking off the tip of the ampoule, be sure to ensure that no glass fragments get inside. Place the syringe needle into the opened ampoule and draw up the medicine by pulling the plunger. Make sure that the cut of the needle is always completely immersed in the solution, otherwise air bubbles will get into the syringe along with the medicine, which can cause an infiltrate (compaction) to appear at the injection site. Before making an injection, the needle must be replaced, as it could become dull on the walls of the ampoule.
The most important thing when opening an ampoule with a drug (especially with improvised means) is not to rush and be careful, then you will certainly succeed.
Attack of headache (tooth, stomach) pain. The cure for it has long been invented - an ampoule with an analgesic, a syringe - and in 10 minutes life will be filled with meaning again. But when we try to extract the drug, we may be in for an unpleasant surprise prepared by our own pharmaceutical companies - the ampoule may not be so easy to open. A few minutes of desperate struggle, curses addressed to the one who came up with all this, the crack of breaking glass, treating cut limbs with an antiseptic - and the road to a painless existence is clear. A situation familiar to almost everyone. These unpleasant moments can be avoided if you know how to open the ampoule.
The modern pharmaceutical industry offers several types of glass packaging for injectable drugs, which are opened in different ways.
History of the ampoule And it all started in the 19th century. Historians have differing opinions regarding the inventor of the ampoule. Some believe that the ancestor of the container was the Russian pharmacist A.V. Pel. Western experts give the palm to the Frenchman Stanislav Limousin. But the fact is that in the 80s of the last century, a glass vessel with a narrow elongated neck and a wide base was invented, intended for storing a sterile drug. The name of the container comes from the Greek word “amphora” - vessel. Until now, domestic pharmaceutical manufacturers produce injectable forms in ampoules that painfully resemble a 130-year-old “old lady.”
Glass ampoule without notch To successfully open a glass ampoule, you need to be armed with knowledge, apply strength and manual dexterity. A conscientious manufacturer must complete the packaging with the drug with a scarifier or a knife for ampoules. In this case, the buyer is lucky, and the algorithm of actions is standard:
- shake the ampoule;
- using a scarifier, file the neck of the ampoule, selecting optimal distance from the top;
- wipe the cut area with alcohol;
- wrap the neck with cotton wool or a napkin and, in the “away from you” position, break off the sawn tip of the ampoule.
If, when trying to find a knife for ampoules, only disappointment awaits, then the situation becomes more complicated. To resolve it, you can, firstly, ask the pharmacist to find the scarifier in another package.
Secondly, use a nail file as an abrasive to open the ampoule, after wiping it with alcohol.
Well, for those who are not looking for easy ways, the third, most cruel option is to wrap the container with the treasured medicine in cotton wool and break off its top, leaving it to chance. If, as a result of the efforts expended, the glass fragments did not fall inside the container and scatter throughout the room, the first barrier has been overcome. All that remains is to open the ampoule without spilling the medicine and the blood of the future patient. If you succeeded, you can consider yourself a virtuoso.
Glass ampoule with notch According to European standards, ampoules must have a colored ring or break point. The glass at the break point is much thinner, and opening an ampoule with a point is not difficult. Having treated the ampoule with an antiseptic and armed with a napkin, you need to press on the notch and carefully break off the neck of the ampoule - that’s the whole algorithm.
Bottle of dry powder Some drugs are not stable in dissolved form and are available in powder form. If you have become happy owner bottle of dry powder, the task of opening it and extracting the medicine can turn into a puzzle.
First, you need a solvent. Most often this is water for injection, an anesthetic solution or an isotonic solution. Sometimes manufacturers produce it complete with the main drug. Otherwise, the solvent is purchased separately.
Secondly, you need a syringe.
Well, the process itself:
- You need to fill the syringe with the required volume of solvent (for clarification, read the instructions for the drug);
- remove the cap from the bottle (it can be metal, cut off with scissors or a knife, or plastic);
- under the top cover you will find the bottom, rubber one, which you should not forget to wipe with alcohol;
- pierce the rubber cap with a syringe needle and inject the solvent into the bottle;
- Shake the bottle thoroughly to make sure that all the drug has dissolved;
- draw the solution with the same syringe;
- change the needle on the syringe to a new, sterile one.
And stay healthy!
For injections, medications are used in special ampoules that reliably protect the active substance from external influences. If its integrity is damaged, we recommend not using the drug and taking an undamaged container.
In order to have access to the medicine, you must break the integrity of the ampoule. This must be done immediately before the injection, since if you do it earlier, the medication will lose its properties. After opening, the liquid is taken out with a syringe and an injection is made.
How to properly open an ampoule with a break point
The procedure must be carried out as carefully as possible, otherwise you risk injury or accidentally spilling the medicine. Each time you open the ampoule better, but before you begin the procedure, use our tips.
Before the procedure, we recommend protecting your hands by wearing thin rubber gloves. Thanks to them, you can protect your palms and fingers from wounds and scratches. Surely you have seen more than once how doctors open an ampoule even without gloves, right? It is not surprising, because they have many years of experience.
You also need to prepare the place - it is better to do this while sitting, lay a towel or cloth on the table surface.
First of all, carefully examine the packaging in which the ampoules are located. Very often the package already contains a convenient compact nail file for opening a glass container. How to open the ampoule in this case? It's simple - take a nail file and run it several times in the narrowest place. Once the glass is thin enough, you need to break the top section. That's all, the ampoule is open and the medicine is ready for use.
How to open an ampoule with a dot? Many people mistakenly think that it needs to be sawed exactly in the place where the point is located, but this is not so. It only indicates that you can break the ampoule without using any tools.
Take a closer look at the neck of the ampoule - in the thinnest place you will see a rim, this is the place of the break.
To prevent cuts, you need to cover the top of the ampoule with a napkin or cloth. Hold the container with one hand, and with the other, grab the top and concentrate pressure on it, make a quick movement and break it off.
If there is no rim or break point on the ampoule, you will have to deal with it on your own. To remove the head, you need to take a knife or a thin metal nail file. Make several cuts in the same place. Then grab the top and quickly break it off.
To prevent debris from hitting you, try to keep the container as far away from you as possible. You also need to remove the top in the same direction - make the break not towards you, but away from you.
That's it, the medicine is ready for use! All that remains is to draw it into a syringe and inject it.
How to open an ampoule: video
In this video you will find several useful tips about how to open different types ampoule
Women's online magazine website
An ampoule is a sealed glass container designed for storing liquid and powdered medicines. Since its main feature is tightness, it should be assumed that it is sealed on all sides and it is sometimes very difficult to get to its contents.
So, let's consider methods that answer the question: “How to open an ampoule without causing harm to yourself and others?” In addition, we will figure out what they are and what they are needed for.
How to open an ampoule with liquid medicine
As a rule, all glass containers for medicines are divided into 2 types: completely glass and those with a metal lid. In order to open the first variety, you must perform the following operations sequentially:
- Read the name of the medicine, special attention attention should be paid to its expiration date.
- The container must be shaken so that the medicine all falls down and does not spill when depressurized.
- If the ampoule kit includes an item for filing (as a rule, this is an emery stick), you need to work it around the circumference in the narrowest part of the container, where the neck transitions to the ampoule itself.
- Take a piece of cotton wool or a paper napkin and break the neck away from you in order to avoid possible damage when the glass crumbles.
- Open the ampoule.
If the required nail file is not included with it, it can be replaced with such improvised means as or
How to open an ampoule with dry powder
If, having purchased a box of the drug, you find that the medicine is a dry powder and the ampoule cap is iron, then in order to open it, you must do the following:
What other types of ampoules are there?
Recently, drug manufacturers have come up with a way to safely open ampoules without the help of foreign objects. In this case, there is no glass on the neck at the transition point to the bubble itself and the top can simply be broken off. But there are also unique ampoules that are sealed with aluminum, and sometimes opening them yourself is not so easy. For example, this is how Mexidol is packaged in ampoules. This drug is used to improve blood supply to the brain, reduce total cholesterol levels in blood vessels, and is also used as first aid for drug or alcohol intoxication, epilepsy and seizures.
As a rule, such ampoules are sold only to medical institutions, and after use their quantity is taken into account. The same thing happens with all sealed packages containing narcotic substances.
Thus, the article found the answer to the question: “How to open an ampoule?” You should not use any other methods if they threaten the health of others and carry the possibility of changing the composition of the drug.
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