Calcium Chloride Compounded in Multi-Dose Vial: Beyond-Use Date

What should Maria do when she compounds an order for calcium chloride in a multi-dose vial with no stated beyond-use date?

Which beyond-use date should she write on the vial?

Answer:

In the given scenario, when Maria has compounded an order for calcium chloride and notices that the drug is in a multi-dose vial with no stated beyond-use date, she should write the beyond-use date as 28 days after the date of the initial puncture. Therefore, she should write the beyond-use date as January 29 (28 days after January 1).

When compounding drugs in multi-dose vials, it is crucial to determine the appropriate beyond-use date. The beyond-use date (BUD) is the date after which the compounded drug should not be used. For multi-dose vials, the BUD is either 28 days after the date of the initial puncture or the manufacturer's recommended expiration date, whichever comes first.

In the scenario provided, since the multi-dose vial of calcium chloride has no stated beyond-use date, Maria should follow the general guideline of assigning a BUD of 28 days after the initial puncture. In this case, since the order was compounded on January 1, the correct beyond-use date to write on the vial would be January 29 (28 days after January 1).

It is essential to adhere to these guidelines to ensure the safety and efficacy of the compounded medications. By correctly determining and labeling the beyond-use date, pharmacists like Maria can maintain the quality and potency of the drugs they compound for patient use.