Written and maintained by CASRAI Editorial Board
Last updated
This page describes products and general use; it is not medical advice.
IV supplies are the devices and consumables used to deliver fluid into a vein: the access device, the fluid container, the administration set and its connectors, and the dressing and skin antiseptic around the insertion site. This guide maps the category by function, shows what US regulation says an administration set can contain, and lists the replacement intervals the CDC publishes for sets, connectors and dressings. It is written for clinic staff, supply buyers and students who need to know which item does what. The phrases “infusion therapy supplies” and “IV supplies list” describe the same category; the table below is that list.
What counts as IV supplies
US federal regulation defines an intravascular administration set as “a device used to administer fluids from a container to a patient’s vascular system through a needle or catheter inserted into a vein” (21 CFR 880.5440, checked 2026-10-30). The same section says the device may include the needle or catheter, tubing, a flow regulator, a drip chamber, an infusion line filter, an I.V. set stopcock, fluid delivery tubing, connectors between parts of the set, a side tube with a cap to serve as an injection site, and a hollow spike that penetrates and connects the tubing to an I.V. bag or other infusion fluid container. FDA classifies this device type as Class II (special controls).
In practice, “IV supplies” is wider than that definition, because the dressings and antiseptics that protect the insertion site are bought and stocked alongside the set. The sections below separate the two.
IV supplies list by function
| Function | Item | Role | Source | Deeper guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Access | Needle or catheter | Inserted into the vein; the set connects to it | 21 CFR 880.5440 | IV catheter, butterfly needle |
| Fluid container | I.V. bag or other infusion fluid container | Holds the fluid; the set’s spike connects to it | 21 CFR 880.5440 | IV bag |
| Administration | Hollow spike, drip chamber, tubing, flow regulator | Connects the container to the access device and carries the fluid | 21 CFR 880.5440 | IV infusion pump |
| Administration | Infusion line filter, stopcock, connectors, capped side tube injection site | Optional parts a set may include | 21 CFR 880.5440 | – |
| Site protection | Sterile gauze or sterile transparent semipermeable dressing | Covers the catheter site | CDC 2011 guideline (updated 2017) | IV dressing |
| Skin antisepsis | Antiseptic solution | Used on the skin before a peripheral catheter is placed | CDC 2011 guideline (updated 2017) | – |
Who uses it: nurses and other clinicians who give infusions, infusion-center and clinic staff who stock them, and students learning the components.
For a pre-packed combination of access-site items, see the IV start kit guide. For pump and tubing selection questions, see the infusion supplies and pump selection guide. For a stocking list organized by setting, see the outpatient infusion center supply checklist.
How an administration set is built
Reading 21 CFR 880.5440 as a parts list gives a simple flow: fluid container, spike, drip chamber, tubing with a flow regulator, optional filter and stopcock, a capped side tube that serves as an injection site, and finally the needle or catheter. The regulation says the set “may include” these parts, so not every set has every part.
Dressings, skin antiseptics and site care
The CDC Guidelines for the Prevention of Intravascular Catheter-Related Infections (2011, last updated October 2017; checked 2026-10-30) state the following:
- Use either sterile gauze or a sterile, transparent, semipermeable dressing to cover the catheter site (Category IA).
- If the patient is sweating or the site is bleeding or oozing, use gauze until that resolves (Category II).
- Replace a dressing that becomes damp, loosened or visibly soiled (Category IB).
- Before peripheral venous catheter insertion, prepare the skin with an antiseptic: 70% alcohol, tincture of iodine, or an alcoholic chlorhexidine gluconate solution (Category IB).
- Do not apply topical antibiotic ointment to insertion sites, except for dialysis catheters (Category IB).
When components are replaced (CDC intervals)
| Component | CDC recommendation | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Continuously used administration sets, including secondary sets and add-on devices (not used for blood, blood products or fat emulsions) | Replace no more frequently than every 96 hours, but at least every 7 days | IA |
| Intermittently used administration sets | No recommendation (unresolved issue) | – |
| Needleless connectors | Change at least as often as the administration set, and no more frequently than every 72 hours or per the manufacturer’s recommendation | II |
| Transparent dressing, short-term central venous catheter | Replace at least every 7 days (pediatric exception applies) | IB |
| Gauze dressing, short-term central venous catheter | Replace every 2 days | II |
| Peripheral catheters, adults | No need to replace more often than every 72 to 96 hours | IB |
| Peripheral catheters, children | Replace only when clinically indicated | IB |
These are recommendations for healthcare settings, not a substitute for a facility’s own policy or a product’s instructions for use. The CDC also recommends scrubbing the access port with an antiseptic (chlorhexidine, povidone iodine, an iodophor, or 70% alcohol) before accessing it, and ensuring that all components of the system are compatible.
Common mistakes
- Mixing components without checking compatibility. The CDC recommends ensuring that all components of the system are compatible (Category II).
- Treating one interval as universal. The 96-hour and 7-day set interval excludes blood, blood products and fat emulsions, and the CDC gives no recommendation for intermittently used sets.
- Leaving a damp or loosened dressing in place. The CDC says to replace it (Category IB).
- Assuming the category is one product. A start kit, an administration set and a dressing are separate items with separate guides.
FAQ
Are infusion therapy supplies the same as IV supplies?
The terms overlap heavily. Both cover the access device, fluid container, administration set and the items that protect the site, as mapped in the table above.
What is on an IV supplies list?
By function: access (needle or catheter), fluid container, administration set (spike, drip chamber, tubing, flow regulator, optional filter, stopcock, connectors, injection site), and site protection (dressing and skin antiseptic).
Is an IV start kit the same as IV supplies?
No. A start kit is a packaged group of items for the access site; IV supplies is the wider category. See the IV start kit guide.
What does FDA say an IV administration set contains?
21 CFR 880.5440 says it may include a needle or catheter, tubing, flow regulator, drip chamber, infusion line filter, stopcock, connectors, a capped injection-site side tube and a spike for the fluid container.
Sources
- eCFR, 21 CFR 880.5440, Intravascular administration set: ecfr.gov (checked 2026-10-30).
- CDC, Guidelines for the Prevention of Intravascular Catheter-Related Infections (2011, updated 2017): cdc.gov (checked 2026-10-30).
Product categories at infusion supplies.
