Can I use Versol sodium chloride to irrigate the heart in open heart surgery?
Versol sodium chloride 0.9% is a medical device with a CE mark. It is licensed for use as an irrigation and not an injection. The finished product control on a solution for irrigation is different to that of an injection. Sodium chloride 0.9% for injection is a medicine and has a product licence. One of the essential differences is in the particulate count. An injection has to meet a lower particle count of smaller particles than an irrigation. In open heart surgery – the solution would be expected to enter the sytemic circulation and so using Versol as an irrigation is inappropriate – a solution of sodium chloride 0.9% for injection should be used.
