Medication Crushing Safety
Medication Crushing Safety - Related Videos
07:35
Safety Checks and Ten Rights of Medication Administration
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2015
According to the landmark 1999 Institute of Medicine report To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System, medication errors are a leading cause of preventable harm and death in hospitals. To mitigate these errors and enhance patient safety, nurses must consistently adhere to the Ten Rights of medication administration. These include the right patient, right medication, right dose, right time, right route, right documentation, right education, right to refuse, right assessment, and right...
09:36
Safety Precautions and Operating Procedures in an (A)BSL-4 Laboratory: 4. Medical Imaging Procedures
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Cited by 8 •
2016
Here, we present an overview of the preparation and animal handling procedures required to safely perform medical imaging in an animal biosafety level 4 laboratory. Computed tomography of a mock-infected guinea pig illustrates these procedures that may be used to evaluate the disease caused by a high consequence pathogen.
03:37
Performing Crush Axotomy on the Facial Nerve in a Mouse Model
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2025
Source: Olmstead, D. N., et al., Facial Nerve Axotomy in Mice: A Model to Study Motoneuron Response to Injury. J. Vis. Exp. (2015).This video demonstrates the facial nerve crush procedure in a mouse, where blunt dissection through key landmarks exposes the facial nerve trunk at the stylomastoid foramen. Forceps are then used to compress the nerve trunk, inducing axonal damage and disrupting neuronal signal transmission.
02:40
Axonal Regeneration in the Sciatic Nerve of a Mouse Following a Crush Injury
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2025
Source: Li, Q., et al. Investigating Mammalian Axon Regeneration: In Vivo Electroporation of Adult Mouse Dorsal Root Ganglion. J. Vis. Exp. (2018)This video demonstrates the process of axonal regeneration in a mouse sciatic nerve following a crush injury. The isolated nerve is fixed and prepared for imaging, with fluorescent proteins expressed in neurons to visualize axon growth. Using an epifluorescence microscope, axon regeneration is traced from the injury site to assess the extent of...
04:53
Electrical Safety
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2023
Robert M. Rioux & Suprita Jharimune, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA Among the many hazards present in the laboratory, electrical hazards are one of the most common we must be cognizant of since most of the laboratory equipment we use requires electricity for operation. Improper handling or operation of electrical devices might lead to electric shock with the potential risk of injury or even death. Electric sparks can lead to fire or explosion (since many flammable...
FAQs
Modified-release formulations are designed to control how quickly the medicine becomes available. Crushing can destroy that release pattern, potentially changing absorption and exposing the patient to the medicine over an unintended period. The resulting effect may no longer match the product’s intended behavior, so the dosage form requires review before any manipulation.
An enteric coating helps determine where the medicine is released. Crushing can disrupt this protective formulation and change the medicine’s intended handling within the digestive process. That alteration may affect absorption or expose the patient to ingredients in an inappropriate way. Enteric-coated products therefore require specific suitability assessment rather than routine crushing.
Crushing may increase exposure to ingredients that are irritating or hazardous, because the medicine is no longer contained in its original solid form. This creates a safety concern separate from whether the drug’s absorption changes. The medication’s formulation and ingredient-related risks should be considered together before selecting crushing as an administration approach.
Swallowing ability helps determine whether manipulation is necessary and whether another dosage form may be more appropriate. A patient who cannot swallow a solid medicine may need a safer alternative, but the original product cannot automatically be crushed. Assessment must connect the patient’s administration problem with the medication’s formulation, stability, and intended effect.
The assessment should review the medicine’s dosage form, formulation, stability, and the patient’s ability to swallow. Clinicians should specifically consider whether the product is modified release or enteric coated, whether crushing could alter absorption or exposure, and whether accurate dosing can still be achieved. This structured review helps identify safer administration options.
Consultation is appropriate whenever the medicine’s suitability for crushing is unclear. A pharmacist or prescriber can help interpret the product’s formulation and determine whether manipulation could change its intended effect, stability, absorption, or safety. Guidance is especially important when the patient cannot swallow the prescribed solid form and an alternative dosage form may be needed.
A liquid formulation may be considered when a patient has difficulty swallowing and crushing the prescribed solid could disrupt release, alter absorption, increase exposure to irritating or hazardous ingredients, or make dosing less accurate. Selecting an alternative should follow medication-specific assessment and clinical guidance, so the replacement supports accurate administration without compromising the intended effect.