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This page describes products and general use; it is not medical advice.
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Who uses it: hospital transfusion services, clinic and infusion staff, and the buyers and students who need to read a product record for a Y-type blood or solution set. After reading you should be able to decode a Y-type set’s regulatory record and know which documents to request before ordering.
What Y-type tubing is
Y-type tubing is an intravascular administration set sold as a “Y-type blood/solution set”: a sterile, single-use line that carries blood or solution from a container toward a patient’s vascular access. In the FDA’s AccessGUDID database, one example (Baxter CLEARLINK, catalogue 4C8714) is described as a “Y-type blood/solution set with a large standard blood filter, 170 to 260 micron filter, two luer-activated valves, and a male luer lock adapter”. The same record files it under GMDN term 38569, “Blood transfusion set, non-exchange”, and FDA product code BRZ, “Set, blood transfusion”.
It is a transfusion-set configuration, not dialysis bloodline tubing. For the difference between transfusion sets, dialysis bloodlines and general IV sets, see what blood tubing is.
How a Y-type set is built
US regulation defines the parent device class. 21 CFR 880.5440 says an intravascular administration set is “a device used to administer fluids from a container to a patient’s vascular system through a needle or catheter inserted into a vein”. It may include tubing, a flow regulator, a drip chamber, an infusion line filter, a stopcock, connectors between parts of the set, a side tube with a cap to serve as an injection site, and a hollow spike.
The 4C8714 record shows how those parts appear on a real Y-type blood/solution set:
- Blood filter: a large standard blood filter rated 170 to 260 micron.
- Valves: two luer-activated valves.
- Patient-end connector: a male luer lock adapter.
The record does not state the set length, the drip rate or the tubing material, so those must come from the instructions for use (IFU) of the exact set. For how the blood container side works, see what a blood bag is.
Types and how the Y-type fits
| Set | Described use | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Y-type blood/solution set | Blood or solution; example record lists a 170 to 260 micron blood filter, two luer-activated valves and a male luer lock adapter | FDA AccessGUDID, DI 00085412072982 |
| Intravascular administration set (general regulation) | Administers fluids from a container to the vascular system; may include a drip chamber, filter, stopcock, injection-site side tube and spike | 21 CFR 880.5440(a) |
| Blood transfusion set (FDA product code BRZ) | FDA classification group for transfusion sets; Class 2, regulation 880.5440 | openFDA device classification |
For other tubing used alongside a set, see infusion sets, IV extension tubing and the wider IV equipment overview.
Specs to check on a product record
| Field | What the example record says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Y-type blood/solution set, 170 to 260 micron filter, two luer-activated valves, male luer lock adapter | AccessGUDID |
| Single use | Yes | AccessGUDID |
| Sterile packaged | Yes | AccessGUDID |
| Prescription use | Yes (Rx) | AccessGUDID |
| Natural rubber latex | Labelled “not made with natural rubber latex” | AccessGUDID |
| FDA classification | Class II (special controls), 21 CFR 880.5440 | 21 CFR 880.5440(b) |
| Set length, device sizes | Not listed on the record | AccessGUDID |
How to verify before you buy
These are document checks, not price or supplier advice. Each item maps to a field above.
- Ask for the IFU and the device identifier (DI) so you can find the supplier’s AccessGUDID record and compare it with the product description.
- Confirm the filter rating on the record. The example lists 170 to 260 micron; a different rating means a different product.
- Confirm the latex statement, the single-use and sterile-package fields, and the connector type (the example uses a male luer lock adapter).
- Take set length and compatibility with your infusion pump from the IFU of the chosen set, because the public record does not list them.
- Check your facility’s transfusion policy and your blood bank’s own supply requirements; see the blood bank and transfusion service supply checklist.
Safe use and handling basics
The example record marks the set as single use, sterile packaged and prescription-use. Follow the IFU packaged with the set and your facility’s transfusion policy; this page does not give step-by-step clinical instructions. If blood needs warming, that is a separate device described in blood warmers.
Common mistakes
- Treating “Y-type” as a standard size or specification. The record names a configuration, not a length or pump compatibility.
- Assuming every blood set has the same filter rating. Read the rating on the product record.
- Confusing transfusion sets with dialysis bloodlines, which are different products.
FAQ
What is a Y-type blood administration set?
It is a sterile, single-use intravascular administration set described as a “Y-type blood/solution set”, filed by FDA under the blood transfusion set product code BRZ and regulated under 21 CFR 880.5440 as Class II.
What is Y-type blood tubing used for?
Its described purpose is to carry blood or solution from a container toward a patient’s vascular access. The example record has a 170 to 260 micron blood filter in the line.
Is a Y-type set single-use?
The example Baxter record (catalogue 4C8714) lists it as single use and sterile packaged. Confirm the same fields for any other set.
Sources
- FDA AccessGUDID, Baxter CLEARLINK 4C8714 (DI 00085412072982): https://accessgudid.nlm.nih.gov/devices/00085412072982, checked 2026-11-02.
- 21 CFR 880.5440, Intravascular administration set: https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/21/880.5440, checked 2026-11-02.
- openFDA device classification, product code BRZ: https://api.fda.gov/device/classification.json?search=product_code:BRZ&limit=1, checked 2026-11-02.
