Journal of clinical anesthesia
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To test the sterility of medication vial tops after removal of the dust cover, and to survey anesthesia providers for their perceptions surrounding medication vials and sterility. ⋯ Anesthesia providers in the U.S. possess contradictory opinions of, and unclear knowledge about, the sterility of rubber stoppers used to access medications, and also the barrier capacity of a vial's dust cover. Standard anesthetic medication vial dust covers do not offer barrier protection against the growth of pathogens.