Archive June 2008
Pharmacy admix training
Trinity Regional Health System are to offer training programs for pharmacy technicians, those who prepare medications and assist licensed pharmacists. Previously, pharmacy technicians have been required to have only a high school education and a clean criminal record. New state laws in both Iowa and Illinois will ensure they require certification. “This program is all about [...]
Refeeding syndrome
This recently published article in the BMJ reminds us of the critical issues associated with refeeding syndrome. Mehanna, H.M., Moledina, J. and Travis, J. (2008) Refeeding syndrome: what it is, and how to prevent and treat it. BMJ. 336, p.1495-1498. Abstract: “Refeeding syndrome is a well described but often forgotten condition. No randomised controlled trials of treatment have [...]
UK IVTEAM win award
A new IV team were the overall winners at the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust’s annual awards for staff innovation and excellence. Sian Bloomfield, Bev Waller and Bernie Coll are the “IV Team”. This team tours Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and the Calderdale Royal Hospital, advising staff on the best ways of inserting tubes into patients as [...]
Central venous access devices
Lynn Hadaway has recently published an article that examines the essential care issues of central venous access devices. Hadaway, L. (2008) Targeting therapy with Central Venous Access Devices. Nursing. 38(6), p.34-40. Abstract: Zero in on your role in managing these common I.V. catheters so you can protect your patient from complications. Topics in this article [...]
Environmental IV
I am very pleased to see that environmental questions are being asked of intravenous therapy. Missoula’s two hospitals are moving toward sustainability and green practices as they examine the environmental health of the workplace. Across the country, reducing waste, eliminating mercury and improving environmental stewardship is a trend evolving in the health care industry. St. [...]
Patient experience video
AstraZeneca have launched a website that allows anyone to upload a video of their experience with needles. It only contains a few videos at the moment. But over time I can see how health professions may benefit from patient experience posted on the Internet. Thank you to Jon Moss for highlighting this site – you can [...]
Wireless may disrupt IV devices
It have recently been reported that Wireless systems used by many hospitals to keep track of medical equipment can cause potentially deadly breakdowns in lifesaving devices such as electronic infusion devices. Some of the microchip-based “smart” systems are touted as improving patient safety, but a Dutch study of equipment — without the patients — suggests the [...]
Barcode patient
The nurse scans the wristband barcode to make sure it matched information on his medication and on her computer screen. Wayne Memorial’s new Bedside Medication Verification (BMV) program officially launched this month. BMV supports the “Five Rights” of Medication Management: Right Patient, Right Medication, Right Dosage, Right Route, and Right Time. Caregivers scan the patient’s wristband barcode [...]
Jugular v Femoral catheterization
Parienti et al (2008) compare the risk of nosocomial complications associated with jugular and femoral central catheterization. Parienti J.J., Thirion M., Megarbane B., Souweine B., Ouchikhe A., Polito A., Forel J.M., Marque S., Misset B., Airapetian N., Daurel C., Mira J.P., Ramakers M., du Cheyron D., Le Coutour X., Daubin C., Charbonneau P. and Members of [...]
Community IV care
Linda Kelly has recently published an article that examines the care of vascular access devices in community care. Kelly, L. (2008) The care of vascular access devices in community care. British Journal of Community Nursing. 13(5), p.1462-4753. “Infusion therapy is now an integral part of the majority of nurses’ professional practice (RCN, 2006). Infusion therapy is no longer confined to [...]
ASHP House of Delegates
The House of Delegates of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) considered a number of professional issues during its 60th annual session in Seattle. One such issue was… “Standardization of Intravenous Drug Concentrations: To develop nationally standardized drug concentrations and dosing units for commonly used high-risk drugs that are given as continuous infusions; further, to [...]
Nursery ICU CRBSI free
UCSF’s William H. Tooley Intensive Care Nursery has gone 135 days without a single central line-associated bloodstream infection. “The reduction in infection is really due to a change in culture at UCSF,” says Michelle Cathcart, RN. “Dr. Yao Sun has been instrumental in creating the cultural shift which supports nurses in their role as gatekeepers.” In [...]
Preparing IV’s
Bruce Flickinger writes about the legislation associated with compounding sterile preparation. “Things have changed in the past 20 years. Although avoiding contamination may be possible in such uncontrolled conditions, nobody now would admit to mixing intravenous and other sterile preparations on an open countertop. Doing so could cost a pharmacist his license and his livelihood, [...]
VuStik Inc.
VuStik Inc. has developed a machine that helps nurses decide where to stick a needle for intravenous access
Clinical skills network
The Clinical Skills Network – Yorkshire and Humberside have recently launched a new website. The network recognises that… “Many challenges are faced when setting up clinical skills centres often requiring creative and innovative solutions with requests for information, support and guidance at a pragmatic level been continually sought from more established institutions. It has become clear [...]
IV history
Neil MacGillivray writes in the Herald about Dr Thomas Latta who was one of the forefathers of infusion therapy. Asking “if it is time for Edinburgh to honour the memory of a remarkable pioneer whose work has been largely forgotten”. “Dr Thomas Latta of Leith, who, during a cholera epidemic in 1832, treated cholera for the [...]
Vascular Access Team
Specialist nurses are working across the Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust to develop and improve Intravenous Access – one of many initiatives expected to collectively contribute to a reduction in healthcare associated infections. Over the next year the Vascular Access Team will be assessing current IV access practice at the RD&E hospital, developing practice [...]
MADRI conference on CRBSI
The Multidisciplinary Alliance Against Device-Related Infections (MADRI) hosted its eighth annual conference June 6-8, 2008 in Lansdowne, VA where leading infection specialists presented on a variety of topics, including research goals in epidemiology and infection control, legal perspectives on MRSA and catheter-related blood stream infections (CRBSIs). “Driven by discussions around improving patient care and the [...]
Blood transfusion opposition
A judge has ruled that the rights of the Jehovah’s Witness parents of sextuplets born in Vancouver were not violated when doctors administered blood transfusions to the premature babies. During the treatment of four premature babies transfusions were given against the wishes of the parents, who are members of a religion that opposes such medical procedures. After [...]
Cardinal Health profits
The chief financial officer of Cardinal Heath Inc. Jeff Henderson, says the health care products and services company expects revenue to grow “at about market” as the company works to improve its drug distribution and clinical and medical products units. Over time, Henderson said the company plans to have as much as 40 percent of its [...]
Medical litter
In this fascinating article JoNel Aleccia reports on the phenomena of medical litter; fragments of medical devices that are left inside patients. Since 2003, reports of 72 deaths and 4,675 injuries associated with “unretrieved device fragments,” or UDFs, have been logged in the FDA database that tracks adverse events. The most common problem occurs when wire guides for catheters [...]
Medicine administration errors
This excellent recently published article brings together both history and recent guidance associated with drug errors. It is particularly relevant due to the recent NPSA interest in heparin errors. Click here for the article on redorbit.com Venkatraman R. and Durai R. (2008) Errors in medicine administration: how can they be minimised? Journal of perioperative practice. 18(6), p.249-253. Abstract: [...]
Virtual reality IV insertion
UK Haptics have recently announced that the NHS National Technology Adoption Hub will use the Virtual Reality Clinical Skills Training Systems as one of four new Technology Implementation Projects. The Virtual Reality Clinical Skills Training System delivers virtual reality, combined with the latest haptics technologies that introduce a sense of touch to human and computer interaction [...]
Infusion Nurses Society webinar
INS to Present 3rd Module in Webinar Series on Catheter Patency. The Infusion Nurses Society (INS) will be presenting the final catheter patency weninar module entitled Alternatives to Heparin in Locking and Maintaining Central Vascular Access Devices. This module will take place on June 24, 2008 at 1:00 PM EDT. The program is free to [...]
Intravenous drip patient dies
A clinic where patients died or fell ill after receiving intravenous drips had sloppy hygiene control, such as sharing the same hand towels among nurses, it has emerged. Tanimoto Orthopedic Clinic in Iga, Mie Prefecture, is accused of keeping mixed intravenous drip solutions for a period of time before administering them to patients. One of the [...]
Vancomycin administration
In this collaborative work between Brazil and the UK the authors describe mistakes made by staff during the administration of intravenous Vancomycin. Hoefel H., Schmitt C., Soares T. and Jordan S. (2008) Vancomycin administration: mistakes made by nursing staff. Nursing Standard. 22(39), p. 35-42. Abstract: “Aim: To identify the number and types of errors made by [...]
Central venous catheter tip sampling
In a recent edition of the Nursing Times, John Guest has written a brief procedural type overview of central venous catheter tip collection. Guest J. (2008) Specimen collection: Central venous catheter tip collection. Nursing Times. 104(22), p.20-21. Abstract: “The removal of CVC’s should be carried out by those familiar with the procedure and those who [...]
European PICC conference
GAVeCeLT announce the 2nd PICC International Meeting on PICCs and midline catheters. The conference will take place on December 3rd, 2008 in the Congress Centre ‘Europa’ – Catholic University, Rome. This day is then followed by the 6th GAVeCeLT congress international meeting on long term vascular access devices. Click here for further information.
Needlefree lidocaine study
This study by Zempsky et al (2008) compares needle-free powder lidocaine with a placebo. Readers may also be interested in reading about Zingo in our product section. Zempsky W.T., Bean-Lijewski J., Kauffman R.E., Koh J.L., Malviya S.V., Rose J.B., Richards P.T. and Gennevois D.J. (2008) Needle-free powder lidocaine delivery system provides rapid effective analgesia for venipuncture or [...]
Zingo™
In August 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Zingo™ (lidocaine hydrochloride monohydrate) powder intradermal injection system to provide local analgesia prior to venipuncture or peripheral IV starts in children three to 18 years of age. Anesiva the company behind Zingo™ have informed IVTEAM that this new product will be available from June 27th 2008. Zingo™ delivers [...]
Recent EPIC2 conferences
London, Bristol, Birmingham and Manchester hosted what has turned out to be a remarkable set of free study days that examined the practical aspects of implementing EPIC2, Saving Lives and ANTT. This national program was developed jointly by the Infection Prevention Society and Thames Valley University. On behalf of all the speakers, sponsors and conference organizers I [...]
Intravenous connection error
A settlement has been reached between an Idaho Falls hospital and the family of a 73-year-old woman who had sued the hospital over her death on May 21, 2003. She was taken to the hospital May 12 after collapsing at her home. Doctors at the hospital determined a brain hemorrhage. The patient had a catheter placed [...]
ANTT conference
Stephen Rowley has announced the date for a national Aseptic Non-Touch Technique (ANTT) conference in London, UK. The date to reserve in your diary is 29th September 2008. Details will be posted on the ANTT website shortly.
Intravenous Nurse vacancy
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a motivated and highly enthusiastic individual to become part of the dynamic and innovative IV Team. The post will be based at the Royal Sussex County Hospital and will involve working at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath for 2 days per week. The IV Therapy Nurse will work [...]
