Comparison of preparation and application duration of Ranibizumab Prefilled Syringe, Ranibizumab Vial and Aflibercept Vial in real clinical setting

Author: Fatih Ulaş (Turkey)

Co-authors: Tamer Özçil, Abdullah Bayrak

Purpose

To compare preparation and application duration of Ranibizumab Prefilled Syringe (RPS), Ranibizumab Vial (RV) and Aflibercept Vial (AV) in real clinical setting.

Setting/Venue

Ophthalmology Deparment, Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University, Faculty of Medicine Hospital.

Methods

Age-related macular degenation, diabetic maculopathy and retinal vein occlusion patients who underwent intravitreal injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (antiVEGF) and cooperated during the injection process comprised the study population. Overall, 90 eyes of 90 patients were injected by two clinicians (TO 45 patients and AB 45 patients) and total duration of preparation and application of antiVEGF injection was recorded for RPS, RV and AV. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to injected agent for both operators (15 RPS, 15 RV and 15 AV). Statistical analysis of data was performed using independent samples t test and one-way analysis of variance test.

Results

The mean duration of injection process by TO for RPS, RV and AV were 50.29±11.31, 82.31±21.52 and 71.90±16.57 sec, respectively (38.90% reduction for RPS vs RV and 30.06% reduction for RPS vs AV). The mean duration of injection process by AB for RPS, RV and AV were 57.86±8.80, 91.80±17.69 and 79.50±14.22 sec, respectively (36.97% reduction for RPS vs RV and 27.22% reduction for RPS vs AV). The injection process duration for all agents were not significantly differed between operators (range of p 0.196-0.799). Injection process duration of RV and AV differed approximately 10 sec for both operators but was not significantly different (p=0.172 and p=0.062) and this was attributed to limited number of included patients. But injection process duration of RPS vs RV and RPS vs AV were significantly different for both operators (p<0.001 for all).

Conlusions

Injection duration remarkably decrease with prefilled syringe form than with vial. However, injection duration of AV was shorter than RV and this was attributed to the lesser volume of RV which might complicate duration of preparing the agent.