A Kanülenabwurfbehälter is the container that used cannulas, lancets and other sharp items are dropped into the moment they have done their job. It is puncture proof and break proof, it cannot be tipped out, it closes tightly, and it carries a marking that identifies its contents. The opening is shaped so that an item can be released with one hand and cannot be retrieved. Size is chosen for the work: a small container suits lancets at a counter, while a venöse Blutentnahme with holder and cannula needs a wider opening and more volume.
Position decides whether the container works at all. It belongs within arm's reach of the seat, on a stable surface at working height, so the sharp object never travels across a room or waits on a tray. The container is brought to the point of use rather than the used cannula being carried to the container. It does not stand on the floor beside the chair, and it is not left where a customer or a child could reach into it. In a consultation room used for other purposes it is put away between appointments rather than left standing.
Filling has a limit and the limit is printed on the container. It is filled only to the marked line, contents are never pressed down to make room, and nothing is allowed to protrude from the opening. Many models have a temporary closure for the time between draws, which is used, and a permanent closure that clicks shut once. When the line is reached the permanent closure is engaged, and that is the end of the container's working life.
From that point the rule is simple and it has no exceptions. The container is never opened again, never emptied, and nothing is ever sorted out of it. It goes to disposal sealed, through the route the pharmacy's waste contractor specifies for sharp items, and it is stored securely until collection. This is the requirement in TRBA 250 and it is the single measure that removes most of the risk of a Nadelstichverletzung. Everything else in Hygiene bei der Blutentnahme assumes the sharp object left the situation immediately and never came back.
This glossary entry is general information about German pharmacy law and practice. It is not legal advice. For binding guidance on your own pharmacy, contact your Landesapothekerkammer.
