Cytotoxic Precautions in Patient Care

Cytotoxic Precautions Overview

• Definition: Cytotoxic precautions refer to safety protocols necessary when handling patients undergoing treatment with cytotoxic medications, such as chemotherapy.

• Symbol: The international symbol for cytotoxic precautions is represented by two upside down cells and is always indicated in purple.

Identification of Cytotoxic Precautions

• Color Code:

  • All materials related to cytotoxic precautions are colored purple. This includes:

    • Gowns

    • Bins

    • Boxes

• Reminder: If you see purple, think cytotoxic!

Equipment and Waste Management

• Purple Bin:

  • Essential for the safe disposal of cytotoxic materials and equipment.

• Smaller Bins:

  • Required for waste dressings and other smaller disposables related to patient care.

• Purple Gowns:

  • Should always be available for staff when caring for cytotoxic patients.

• Glove Protocol:

  • Preferably use purple gloves; if unavailable, double-glove with regular clean gloves.

Non-Cytotoxic Waste

• Ordinary Bin:

  • Used for items that have not been contaminated by cytotoxic materials or have not touched the patient directly.

  • Important to ascertain contamination status to avoid expensive disposal costs associated with cytotoxic waste.

Linen Management

• Dedicated Linen Skip:

  • Hospitals should provide a specific linen skip for the cytotoxic patient's linens to prevent cross-contamination with general linens.