Disposable Medical Infusion Sets: Classification, Uses, and Usage Methods​

Disposable medical infusion sets are core tools in clinical infusion therapy. They establish a sterile pathway between veins and medicinal solutions, enabling the precise delivery of drugs, nutrient solutions, blood products, and more. Their single – use nature fundamentally eliminates the risk of cross – infection. With the advancement of medical technology, infusion sets with various functions have formed a comprehensive system. This article will systematically introduce their classification, clinical uses, and standardized usage methods, with a focus on explaining the application logic of core components such as Disposable medical infusion needle and Disposable medical infusion set with scalp needle.​

Classification of Disposable Medical Infusion Sets​

The classification of disposable medical infusion sets should take into account structural design, functional characteristics, and clinical needs, and can be mainly divided into the following categories:​

According to the configuration of core components, they can be divided into basic type and specialized type. The basic type infusion set consists of a venous needle (Disposable medical infusion needle), an infusion tube, a Murphy’s dropper, a flow regulator, a medicinal solution filter, and an infusion needle connector, and is suitable for routine intravenous infusion. The Disposable medical infusion set with scalp needle is an integration of a 3 – 5 gauge thin scalp needle into the basic type. Its short and sharp needle causes less pain during puncture, making it mostly used for fragile blood vessels such as pediatric scalp veins and fine veins on the back of the hand, and it is the first choice for pediatric and elderly patients.​

According to functional specificity, they can be divided into precision filtration type, anti – backflow type, and blood transfusion – specific type. The medicinal solution filter of the precision filtration infusion set has a pore size of 0.22μm, which can intercept particles, insoluble impurities, and bacteria in drugs, avoiding vascular embolism. It is suitable for infusing preparations that are prone to generating particles, such as traditional Chinese medicine injections and chemotherapeutic drugs. The anti – backflow infusion set is equipped with a one – way valve below the Murphy’s dropper, which automatically blocks blood backflow when the infusion of medicinal solution is completed, reducing the operational pressure on medical staff. The blood transfusion – specific type is equipped with a filter screen with a pore size of 170μm, which can filter out clots, fibrin, and other impurities in the blood. At the same time, it can withstand the viscosity of blood products to prevent pipeline blockage.​

According to the way of controlling the infusion rate, they can be divided into manual adjustment type and intelligent adaptation type. The manual adjustment type controls the dropping rate of the medicinal solution through a roller – type flow regulator, which is suitable for routine infusion scenarios. The intelligent adaptation type is designed with an interface matching the infusion pump at the end of the pipeline, which can accurately respond to the flow rate instructions of the pump body, with an error controlled within ±5%. It is mostly used in treatments that require strict control of the flow rate, such as intensive care and anesthesia maintenance.​

Clinical Uses of Disposable Medical Infusion Sets​

Disposable medical infusion sets have a wide range of uses in the field of clinical treatment, and their design characteristics are highly matched with clinical needs:​

In basic treatment, infusion sets are core carriers for drug administration. For antibiotics, electrolyte solutions, and other drugs that need to be administered intravenously, continuous or intermittent infusion is achieved through infusion sets to maintain the effective concentration of drugs in the blood. The infusion set with a scalp needle, relying on the advantage of its thin needle, plays an important role in pediatric vaccination and neonatal nutritional support. Its minimally invasive nature can reduce children’s fear of puncture. The sharpness and bevel design of the Disposable medical infusion needle ensure the success rate of a single puncture in adult peripheral veins and reduce the risk of vascular damage.​

In critical care treatment, precision filtration infusion sets become key tools. When patients receive large – dose intravenous nutrient solution infusion, the fat emulsion particles in it are prone to aggregation to form emboli, and the filter can effectively intercept these particles. During chemotherapy for cancer patients, if the cytotoxic particles of chemotherapeutic drugs enter the blood vessels, they may cause phlebitis, and precision filtration can significantly reduce the incidence of such complications. The anti – backflow infusion set shows its value in emergency rescue. When medical staff deal with multiple patients at the same time, it can reduce the emergency situation of blood backflow caused by the exhaustion of medicinal solution.​

In the field of special treatment, specialized infusion sets show irreplaceability. The specialized infusion set used for blood transfusion can prevent red blood cells from being damaged by shear force when flowing through the pipeline, and at the same time filter out debris generated during blood storage. In the induction therapy of hemodialysis patients, the infusion set needs to work in coordination with the dialysis machine to maintain the hemodynamic stability of patients through precise fluid balance control. In addition, in the obstetric field, the infusion set used for oxytocin infusion needs to have anti – drug adsorption properties to ensure the dosage accuracy of polypeptide drugs.​

Standardized Usage Methods of Disposable Medical Infusion Sets​

The correct use of disposable medical infusion sets is crucial to ensuring treatment safety, and it is necessary to strictly follow the principles of aseptic operation and procedural steps:​

Pre – operation Preparation: First, check the integrity of the package to confirm that the product is within the validity period and has no damage or air leakage. At the same time, check the doctor’s advice and select the appropriate type of infusion set according to the patient’s age, vascular conditions, and the characteristics of the medicinal solution. For example, newborns should use an infusion set with a 4 – gauge scalp needle, and precision filtration type is required for infusing chemotherapeutic drugs. Medical staff should perform hand hygiene, wear sterile gloves, invert the medicinal solution bottle, disinfect the bottle stopper, insert the puncture needle of the infusion set, and hang it on the infusion stand.​

Air Removal and Puncture: Open the flow regulator to allow the medicinal solution to slowly flow into the Murphy’s dropper until it is 1/3 – 1/2 full. Close the regulator and squeeze the pipeline below the dropper to expel the air inside, ensuring that there are no air bubbles at the tip of the Disposable medical infusion needle. Select the puncture site (adults usually choose veins on the back of the hand or forearm, and children mostly choose scalp veins). Disinfect the skin with iodophor with a diameter of ≥5cm and wait for it to dry before puncturing. When puncturing with an infusion set with a scalp needle, keep the needle at an angle of 15 – 30 degrees. After seeing blood return, lower the angle and advance another 0.2cm, then fix the needle.​

Speed Regulation and Monitoring: Adjust the dropping rate according to the nature of the medicinal solution. For example, antibiotics are usually administered at 40 – 60 drops per minute, while potassium chloride solution needs to be controlled at 20 – 40 drops per minute. Infants, young children, and elderly patients should use an infusion pump for precise control to avoid heart failure or adverse drug reactions caused by too fast a speed. During the infusion process, regular rounds are required to observe whether there is swelling or exudation at the puncture site and whether the liquid level in the Murphy’s dropper is appropriate. If pipeline blockage, blood return, or other situations are found, timely handling is necessary.​

Termination and Disposal: When the medicinal solution is about to be infused, close the flow regulator, gently lift the fixing dressing, press the area above the puncture point with a sterile cotton swab, quickly pull out the needle, and press for 3 – 5 minutes until there is no bleeding. Used infusion sets are classified as infectious medical waste. The Disposable medical infusion needle should be destroyed and then placed in a puncture – proof special collection bag for centralized treatment by professional institutions. Reuse or random discarding is strictly prohibited.​

The technological iteration of disposable medical infusion sets has always centered on the core goals of “safety, precision, and comfort”. From the development of basic types to intelligent adaptation types, and from ordinary infusion needles to the specialization of scalp needles, every improvement reflects the ultimate pursuit of patient safety and treatment quality. Only by proficiently mastering the characteristics and usage specifications of different types of infusion sets can medical staff give full play to their clinical value and provide better treatment guarantees for patients.​