Retrospective and FMECA analysis of failures in closed-system devices

Abstract

Introduction Cytotoxic drugs can be hazardous to healthcare workers involved in their preparation and/or administration. Exposure occurs during routine handling of drug vials and ampoules, preparation, administration and disposal of cytotoxic waste. The use of closed-system devices provides protection against exposure to cytotoxics, but these devices are the subject of numerous incidents. Given the nature of the drugs they contain, these incidents can be dangerous for the personnel handling them. Objective The aim of our study is to analyze material vigilance data relating to problems frequently encountered with the various consumables of the closed system and to assess the risk of exposure of personnel to cytotoxic drugs when using these using the Failure Mode and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) method. Materials and methods Our study was conducted at the pharmacy of the National Institute of Oncology, the closed system drug transfer device (CSDT) used is a ChemoClave-ICU®, This device is mechanical and needleless For the materiovigilance study we carried out a retrospective study over the period from 2019 to 2022, analyzing materiovigilance data collected by National Institute of Oncology's materiovigilance and pharmacovigilance cell. Our team, trained in the FMECA method, conducted the study over a three-month period, between September and November 2022. The method was used to assess the risks incurred by staff when using the CSDT device to prepare cytotoxic drugs. Conclusion Our study revealed that the most frequent incident was linked to a manufacturing defect in the device in question. According to the FMECA analysis, this incident represents a major risk, as its occurrence hampers the cytotoxic preparation process. CSDT have the advantage of being easy to use and acceptable to staff, but standards need to be developed and validated to assess the performance of these devices.