By looking at the needleless connectors, can I tell if its simple or complex?
I have two, one that we are using, and one we are trialing. It says on the package of each what its function it. But, I can't tell about its' design (simple vs complex). I looked on their websites, and didn't know for sure. Would I just look for the diagram of the internal workings, or would they say those words -- Simple or Complex?
Thanks for the help,
Kathleen
By simply looking at a needleless connector, you can not make any determinations about how they are designed or how they function. You would need to assess the drawings of the internal mechanism. Look for the fluid pathway - is it straight through the center or does the fluid around some center moving mechanism? What are the moving internal parts? How many? How do they move? Basically the simple designs are only those that have a split septum on the connection surface. The complex ones are virtually all mechanical valves. Lynn
Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, BC, CRNI
Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc.
126 Main Street, PO Box 10
Milner, GA 30257
Website http://www.hadawayassociates.com
Office Phone 770-358-7861
Your rep for the product should readily explain the design. ICU Medical has videos on www.icumed.com of its product showing cutaways of the internal design.
Tom Billings, RN
Sr. Product Specialist
ICU Medical, Inc.