AAMI, the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, is leading the small-bore connectors initiative, an international effort to decrease tubing misconnections and increase patient safety. Recently, AAMI has released two additional standards focusing on how to design connectors for a specific clinical application: one focusing on enteral connectors, and another on breathing systems to promote patient safety.

Patient safety organizations have publicized the dangers of tubing misconnections for years, as incidents involving connections between unrelated applications (e.g., between a feeding tube and intravenous line) have become more frequent, according to the FDA. The agency cites human factors issues and the ubiquity of the Luer connector, a

type of small-bore connector with a universal design that allows it to connect freely to many different types of devices, as playing roles in the misconnections, which can be deadly for patients.

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