The Contamination of Intravenous Fluid by Felt-Tip Marking Pen Ink: A Pilot Study

Objective: The practice of writing directly on infusion bags with felt-tip marking pen was suggested to cause contaminations. Recommendation against such practice has been published by manufacturers and health care authorities. A chromatography-based laboratory experiment was conducted to substantiate the possibility of ink constituents permeation through Polyvinylchloride (PVC) infusion bag. Methods: A Viaflex® intravenous infusion bag was marked with a blue Artline® marking pen ink. Fluid samples were obtained at different time intervals and tested for any contaminations. A gas chromatography with mass spectrometry capability system was used to analyse fluid samples from infusion bag. Results: Five fluid samples were obtained from the infusion bag at 0, 10, 30, 60, 120 minutes after ink exposure. Chromatograms from each sample were compared with a chromatogram from “blank” intravenous solution. There appeared to be no chromatographic evidence of ink constituents present in all intravenous fluid samples. Conclusion: The practice of writing directly on Viaflex® infusion bags with a felt-tip marking pen has not resulted in contamination of intravenous fluid by ink constituents