Month: September 2009

The WAND Continues to Draw a Crowd

Posted on by Greg Dennis

Among the most crowded booths at the recent annual meeting of the Association for Vascular Access was that of Access Scientific, makers of The WAND, which enables the Accelerated Seldinger Technique. This faster and safer means of placing central line catheters is expected to be available late this year, from Access Scientific.

Nurses often lined up two rows deep to see The WAND demonstrated by Dr. Steve Bierman, the Access CEO, and by VP Bill Bold. The WAND is designed to eliminate many of the risks associated with the widely used Modified Seldinger Technique. Risks of MST include accidental needlesticks, bleeding, contamination, embolism, and loss of cannulation.

Also at AVA, Access Scientific and Teleflex teamed to provide the first Nurse Certificate Program in the Accelerated Seldinger Technique.

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Joint Commission Will Require Catheter Valve Disinfection

Posted on by Greg Dennis

The Joint Commission will require hospitals to have a standardized protocol to disinfect catheter luer access valves, starting January 2010. In the face of that new dictum, what’s a hospital to do?

A panel pondering that question – and featuring three national vascular access experts — drew more than 100 nurses at the recent annual meeting of the Association for Vascular Access. Panelists were:

• Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RNC, CRNI, infusion therapy expert
• Gregory Schears, MD, Mayo Clinic
• Kelly Fugate, ND, RN, Joint Commission

The panel’s focus: Preventing Intraluminal Contamination from CRBSI’s: Complying with New Guidelines from the Joint Commission & SHEA Compendium.” The event was sponsored by Excelsior Medical, makers of the SwabCap disinfection cap for luer access valves, and moderated by Greg Dennis, of Dowling & Dennis Public Relations.

Dr. Schears led off by outlining the seriousness of catheter-related bloodstream infections, which are all too common despite years of effort aimed at eradicating these potential killers. He said it was a “logical extension” of infection control efforts to cover and disinfect valves with a cap.

Lynn Hadaway outlined a variety of studies on the issue, while Kelly Fugate explained why the Joint Commission has new National Patient Safety Goals that include the disinfection protocol requirement,..

For more on SwabCap, go to http://www.Excelsiormedical.com. Excelsior Medical is a client of Dowling & Dennis Public Relations.

Excelsior, Novian Added as New Clients

Posted on by Greg Dennis

We’re happy to report that even in the economic downturn, we’ve added two new clients:

* Excelsior Medical is a leading maker of prefilled catheter flush syringes. The company is also launching an exciting new technology called SwabCap™. This product promises to pioneer more effective prevention of potentially deadly catheter-related bloodstream infections.

SwabCap provides passive, verifiable disinfection of the top and threads of luer access valves. These valves are a critical part of providing IV medication and nutrition. Both the Joint Commission and SHEA/IDSA Compendium have new guidelines calling for hospitals to have a specific disinfection protocol– meaning Excelsior expects strong demand for SwabCap as part of the company’s focus on preventing intra-luminal contamination of catheters. http://www.ExcelsiorMedical.com

*Novian Health makes the Novilase™ laser ablation device to treat fibroadenomas of the breast. These non-cancerous lumps are a troubling breast health problem for many women. Novilase provides a minimally invasive alternative to surgical lumpectomy, with no scarring and less infection risk. Novilase is FDA-cleared for treating fibroadenomas. http://novianhealth.com