Differences between IV Giving Set and Blood Giving Set

Infusion sets such as IV giving set and blood giving sets are the most commonly used medical equipments in the clinical settings, and home care.

In our previous post, we discussed the uses of the IV giving set (IV infusion set). In this article, we will further highlight the differences between the IV giving set and the blood giving set. Though they use both of them are used for infusion therapy, they find their uses in different applications and scenarios.

Blood Giving Set

Blood giving set is used to give blood products to a patient from the container to the vascular system (vein) using a needle or a catheter connected to the vein while IV infusion giving set is used to administer parenteral solutions.

The blood giving set can come with an air vent or without it. The ones with air vent are used to transfuse blood and blood products contained in glass bottles (Albumin, intravenous immune globulin) and have an air inlet.

They use a blood giving set without an air vent for transfusion of blood contained in flexible bags. They do not come with the air inlet. All materials used for making blood giving sets are haemocompatibles. This means they are compactible with the complex environment and make up of the blood,

Both IV giving set and blood giving set have some similarities, such as sterility. Also, both are designed for a single patient use before disposal. There is also locking control on both devices. The flow from both the blood giving set and IV giving set are variable.

Differences Between the IV Giving Set and Blood Giving Set

IV Giving Set	Blood Giving Set
They administer non-blood products such as infusions (IV fluids such as saline, dextrose) by gravity.	They are used for administering blood products such as blood and platelets
Has 15 micrometer in-line filter	Has 200 micron blood filter
It has a tubing length minimum of 150 cm	PVC tubing with a standard length of 150 cm.
It has a flow rate of 20 drops/ml	The flow rate is 20 drops/ml
The filter size is 5 to 20 μm	The filter size is 200 µ
It is cheap	Costlier than IV giving set

Features of IV Giving Set

Perforator with protective cap
Air inlet with integrated bacteriological filter
Drop counting chamber (Transparent drip chamber)
Precision flow regulator
Transparent tubing

Features of Blood Giving Set

PVC-based flexible tubing
perforator (spike) from stainless steel, encased in polyamide or moulded from ABS or POM
PVC drip-counter chamber
Blood filter made of polyamide
Flow regulator made of polystyrene, ABS
Rubber latex free injector port
PVC air inlet (for type with air vent)

To learn more on transfusion guideline, visit the transfusion guidelines