Questions and Answers on USP Chapter 797 with Clyde Buchanan:

• Question B25: Cleaning and Sanitizing Workspaces - Does isopropyl alcohol used for cleaning and disinfecting workspaces have to be sterile?
   
• Answer B25: In rare cases, isopropyl alcohol has been known to support the growth of hardy microorganisms. There are at least three ways to deal with this: 1) buy and use only sterile isopropyl alcohol (expensive); 2) filter isopropyl alcohol through a 0.22-micron filter to remove any bacteria or spores before use; 3) discard your supply of isopropyl alcohol at the end of each day (most practical).

Answer provided by E. Clyde Buchanan, MS, FASHP,  Senior Director of Pharmaceutical Services for Emory Healthcare. He is also Adjunct Professor at the Mercer University, Southern School of Pharmacy. He received his B.S. Pharmacy degree from the University of North Carolina and MS/Residency from The Ohio State University. For six years he was Assistant Director of Pharmacy at Duke University Medical Center, then served as Director of Pharmacy at St. John's Hospital in Springfield, Illinois for 11 years before going to Emory.

He has served the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists as Chair, Special Interest Group on Administrative Practice; Vice Chair, Council on Legal and Public Affairs; and member of the House of Delegates, as wel as on several committees and task forces and invited writer for several ASHP publications, including Compounding Sterile Preparations, 2nd edition.

Mr. Buchanan has authored many papers, book chapters, and two books, and he has spoken on a national and international level on a variety of clinical and administrative pharmacy topics.

All opinions expressed in the following interview are those of Mr. Buchanan. When evaluating specific recommendations regarding compounding practices, practitioners are strongly encouraged to rely on a wide array of sources, including state and local authorities, accrediting bodies such as the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, and organizations such as the United States Pharmacopeia, as well as experts such as Mr. Buchanan.