FDA Recall of Alcohol Swipes, Pads, Swabs

[Sean]

For those who live in the States and inject, there has been an FDA recall of all alcohol prep pads, swipes and swabsticks that are made by Triad, due to a potential microbial contamination. According to the FDA, these products have also been distributed in Canada and Europe, so those of you who live outside the States in those locations may want to follow-up with your own health care providers and national health warning systems.

I know many of us use these products as part of our injection prep.

Triad makes private label products, which means that you could have recalled products without it saying the company name Triad (for example, Walgreens and CVS labels = Triad). I believe that Stroecker's may also be selling Triad products, but I am not 100% sure.

You can find a list of which companies are covered in the recall here:
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm239219.htm

Please find another alcohol prep pad products to use until you can find ones not from the recalled company or check with your health care practitioner about what alternatives are available.

[xAndrewx]

Yikes thanks for posting this because I use the CVS ones. While  I don't think I'll go through the hassle of calling them and complaining over the $3 I spent I'll definitely be getting new ones!

[Sarah Louise]

Luckily I get mine from RiteAid, the brand is TopCare.

I use them daily for insulin shots.

[Kitpup]

Oooh, I need to find out what my partner uses in her phlebotomy class. Twenty plus students stabbing each other in the arms with needles three and four times, that's pretty risky to begin with!

[cynthialee]

Now I am glad I just use a coton ball and 91% alcohol.

[Flan]

I use pads made by dynarex, and college I went to used ones made by covidien (aka kendall healthcare)

[Cindy]

There was a very interesting article years ago that said swabs were mainly for placebo and had no affect on microbe injection into sites. By they way alcohol doesn't kill most 'bugs' bleach does and that is why we swab down contaminated areas in the lab with bleach. But don't swab yourself with bleach. If you are concerned, a quick wipe with virtually any soap product is more effective than an alcohol swab. Oh, if you get a sting from injecting into muscle mass, it is often the alcohol on the skin that you are pushing in with the needle. I, for reasons I will not go into, often have to bleed myself, for professional reasons, believe it or not. I never use an alcohol swab, I wash my arm with some soap and water and that's it. Never had an infection in 35 years. When I bleed people I do use a swab as it is expected, bit like the white coat; don't have one of them either, I always wipe the area with a cotton wool swab before I penetrate with the needle because it stops the sting.

This is opinion and not professional advice.