WEDNESDAY, Aug. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Routine refrigerator storage and reuse of Botox for up to one to four months does not result in microbial contamination, according to a study in the August issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Murad Alam, M.D., of Northwestern University in Chicago, and colleagues assessed whether the refrigeration and serial re-extraction of 100-U vials of reconstituted botulinum A exotoxin solution preserved with saline increased the risk of microbial contamination. Researchers treated one to three patients with extractions from the reconstituted vials within a week. Next, the vials were stored in an unlocked refrigerator. Two weeks later, a nurse simulated a therapeutic procedure by discarding 0.1 mL and continued doing this until a 0.1 mL aliquot could not be withdrawn without prying off the vial's metal ring and rubber hub cover. The vial was then tested for microbial contamination.
Overall, vials underwent about 4.5 access procedures, resulting in a total of 76 U removed over seven weeks with no indication of any contamination.
"The documented sterility of the large number of vials systematically tested in this study should provide confidence that long term storage and use is not likely to result in detectable microbiologic contamination," the study authors concluded.
Abstract
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