Time-motion study of intravenous ranitidine admixtures.

This study determined the total preparation time, cost, and contamination rate associated with preparing 50-mL admixtures of ranitidine 50 mg from each of the following commercial source vials: 50 mg/2 mL unit-dose vial (treatment A), 50 mg/2 mL 10 mL multidose vial (treatment B), and 50 mg/2 mL 40 mL multidose vial (treatment C). The study consisted of two separate phases: phase I extemporaneous compounding and phase II batch manufacturing. Twelve technicians prepared ten admixtures from each source vial during each phase. All admixtures were tested for sterility; bacterial contamination was not observed. Multidose vials saved approximately $197 per 200 admixtures. Drug and personnel costs were reduced when batch manufacturing with 40-mL multidose vials was compared with extemporaneous compounding with unit-dose vials. Our study showed that multidose vials decreased the total preparation time and cost for making ranitidine admixtures during both extemporaneous compounding and batch manufacturing by reducing setup time, preparation time, and drug procurement cost.