Bolus and Backflow: BOLUSSAFE™ Check Valves From ITW MEDICAL

This medical image features an injection into a patient's fluid line with visible medical check valves.

Medical applications require precise and safe equipment to ensure successful treatments and prevent cross-contamination. One essential component in many medical devices is the check valve, which helps to prevent backflow and maintain consistent drug volumes. However, not all check valves are created equal, and ITW Medical's BOLUSSAFE™ Check Valves offer superior performance and reliability.

BOLUSSAFE™ Check Valves are Filtertek products. Filtertek is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacturing of filters and has been recognized for its innovation in the filtration industry. ISM's medical division, IS Med Specialties, is the master distributor of ITW Medical including their line of BOLUSSAFE™ Check Valves and MediPure™ IV Filters.

This blog post contains information that is based on an article originally created by ITW Medical, in some instances providing further insights and explanations, and summarizing in other cases. The original article can be downloaded here.

ITW Medical presents BOLUSSAFE™, a Filtertek productIs the check valve you currently use the best fit for your medical application? ITW Medical's BOLUSSAFE™ Check Valves have a proven ability to overcome the most common failure modes of check valves - backflow & occlusion - even under bolus conditions.

This image displays a variety of BOLUSSAFE™ Check Valve configurations, colors, materials, and connections, including Luer, straight, and tapered.

A bolus condition refers to a situation where a large amount of fluid or medication is rapidly injected into the body, usually via an intravenous infusion. In the context of medical equipment, bolus conditions can put pressure on check valves and other components, potentially causing them to fail or malfunction.

An elastomeric diaphragm-based Check Valve allows a liquid or gas to flow in one direction, preventing cross-contamination caused by backflow and ensuring the infusion of consistent drug volumes. Backflow, also known as drug reflux, is a failure mode resulting from an opposing force in the counterflow direction against the desired directional flow of a liquid or gas in a system. Filtertek branded BOLUSSAFE™ Check Valves reduce the risk of contamination with sensitivity to minimal backflow pressures, low cracking pressures, and withstand high flow rates from bolus delivery.

This image shows an ITW Medical BOLUSSAFE™ Check Valve in a clear plastic material with port x luer lock connections.

Ideal for infusion, drainage, and irrigationThe Low-Opening Pressure (LOP) Check Valves in the BOLUSSAFE™ series are ideal for healthcare applications focused on infusion, drainage, and irrigation. They meet and surpass IV infusion standards and requirements by functioning and providing backflow resistance to pressures generated as low as 0.1mL per hour. LOP BOLUSSAFE™ valves can withstand a flowrate of 250mL/min at 1.42 psi, cracking pressure ranges from 0.14 to 0.43 psi, and housing integrity of the valves can withstand a range from 43 to 400 psi.

In hospital settings, patient-controlled (analgesia) pumps allow the patient to control when a bolus of pain medication is released into an intravenous (IV) line, which can typically cause an occlusion failure mode for a check valve. ITW Medical brand Filtertek markets the BOLUSSAFE™ Check Valve series that allows a bolus of liquid or air to be introduced to a system without occluding the infusion line and maintaining backflow resistance when used in conjunction with multiple infusion lines.

The medical image displays an injection in a patient's fluid line and shows visible check valves.

Designed for performanceBOLUSSAFE™ Check Valves have the desired features and performance for your medical application requirements: low priming volume, easy removal of air bubbles during priming, and operation in any spatial orientation. BOLUSSAFE™ Check Valve Series meet high quality and regulatory standards, including ISO standards 8536, 80369, and 10993.

IS Med Specialties can provide you with these high-quality components for your medical equipment needs. The BOLUSSAFE™ series of products are available in one-way and dual check valve configurations in various materials, cracking pressures, and inlet/outlet configurations, discover ITW Medical Check Valves offered by IS Med Specialties here.

The original article can be downloaded here.