Turbidimetric assessment of the compatibility of taxol with selected other drugs during simulated Y-site injection.

The compatibility of taxol in 5% dextrose injection with each of 17 other drugs during simulated Y-site injection was studied through visual and turbidimetric assessment. A 4-mL sample of taxol 1.2 mg/mL in 5% dextrose injection was combined with a 4-mL sample of each of 17 drugs at concentrations that are used clinically. Each combination was prepared in duplicate, with the order of mixing reversed between the two samples. The samples were inspected visually in normal fluorescent light, in high-intensity light, and against light and dark backgrounds with a 3-diopter magnification lens initially and at 30 minutes, one hour, and four hours. A turbidimeter was used to measure the turbidity of each drug combination in triplicate initially and at one and four hours after mixing. None of the drug combinations resulted in visual evidence of precipitation, color change, or gas production, and the turbidity was essentially unchanged over the four-hour observation period. Taxol 1.2 mg/mL in 5% dextrose injection exhibited no visual or turbidimetric evidence of incompatibility when combined with each of 17 other drugs during simulated Y-site injection. However, drug combinations for which no visual or turbidimetric incompatibility is apparent may not be chemically stable; therefore, practitioners should be cautious in applying these findings to the clinical setting.