Tubing misconnections can happen to anyone, and they typically result in catastrophic consequences. Repeated reports of misconnection incidents have led to the international recognition of a need for standardized delivery-specific connection types. ENFit is the ISO 80369-3 standard that has been developed for enteral connections.
The ENFit is a small bore connector designed for enteral feeding sets, syringes and tubes. Its design prevents tubing misconnection by not allowing non-enteral devices (like an IV line) to connect with an enteral device. The ENFit was heavily stress tested and was found to highly reduce the risk of misconnection during therapy. Misconnection is regarded as the leading risk for enteral infusion.
Support for the ENFit has grown, and most medical providers have begun to include the ENFit into their product lines. The noticeable improvement in design has lead to a rapid increase in demand and adoption throughout the medical community. Full lines of feeding sets, syringes and tubes are available now for those interested in improving the safety of their own enteral infusion.
It’s important for Enteral Infusion providers to be aware that pre-ENFit connection devices will soon become obsolete. But don’t worry if your practice still has old enteral tubes in its inventory. Almost all manufacturers distributing ENFit are producing conversion accessories that make sure old connectors can work with the ENFit. This will serve as a temporary solution until the old accessories transition out completely.
Still not sure if you really need to switch? Hear patient stories about the risks of tubing misconnections in their own words (stayconnected.org).
Converting to ENFit devices just makes sense. Not only is it the new industry standard, more importantly it provides safer infusion for patients. Interested in learning about acquiring ENFit products? Please don’t hesitate to contact Right Way Medical to discuss your options. You can also view ENFit equipped products.
We also highly recommend that you visit GEDSA and StayConnected. The Global Enteral Device Supplier Association (GEDSA) is a collaborative workgroup formed to introduce the new ISO 80369 standard series. GEDSA and its members work together to support the StayConnected initiative and introduce new healthcare connectors to reduce the risk of medical device tubing misconnections.