Q: Do we have to label medications used during anesthesia or sedation?
A: Anytime one or more medications are prepared but not administered immediately (prepared by a person who takes the medication directly to a patient for administration without a break in that continuum), the container (which may be a bag, syringe, bottle, or box) must be labeled.
At a minimum the labeling must include drug name, strength, amount (if not apparent from the container), expiration date if not used within 24 hours, expiration time if expiration will occur in less than 24 hours, and the date prepared and the diluents for all compounded IV admixtures.
In addition, when preparing individualized medications for multiple patients or when the preparer is not the person administering the medication, the label must also include patient name, patient location, directions for use and any applicable cautionary statements either on the label or attached as an accessory label (e.g., needs refrigeration, for IM use only).
In most instances, medications drawn up by an Anesthesiologist in the OR suite for immediate use are not required to be labeled. If however, a medication is drawn up prior to the case in the anesthesia prep room by an Anesthesiologist or any other Anesthesia team member, or a syringe is loaded in the OR suite for gradual push during the case, it must be labeled appropriately.