How much does HAI cost?

Intravenous news: Infection Control Today report “Adults who developed healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) due to medical or surgical care while in the hospital in 2007 had to stay an average Read more

Potential new IV dressing

Intravenous news: Will we soon see frog skin IV dressings. We do ‘hop’ so. This is no ‘croak’. The BBC report “Frog skin may be an important source of new antibiotics to treat superbugs say researchers. So far, more than 100 Read more

Neonatal IV safety alert

Intravenous news: The NPSA report “There is a risk of the accidental over infusion of intravenous fluids and medicines to neonates associated with the setting up of specific intravenous infusions or the overriding of Read more

Interventional HepC infection

Intravenous news: jacksonville.com report “Three transplant patients at Mayo Clinic may have contracted hepatitis C from a Mayo employee who was fired Tuesday, the clinic reported Tuesday night. The employee, Read more

APIC CEO resignation

Intravenous news: Infection Control Today report “The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) announces the resignation of CEO Kathy Warye effective Oct. 31, 2010. Warye Read more

Contaminated intravenous feed

Intravenous news: dw-world.de report “A third baby has died after receiving a contaminated intravenous drip at a hospital in Germany. A spokeswoman for Mainz University Hospital said that the premature Read more

Syringe reuse error

Intravenous news: Wisconsin State Journal report “The state Department of Health Services cited the University of Wisconsin Hospital for four deficiencies after a syringe was reused on a second person, Read more

IV misconnection research

Intravenous news: nytimes.com report “Thirty-five weeks pregnant, Robin Rodgers was vomiting and losing weight, so her doctor hospitalized her and ordered that she be fed through a tube until the birth of her Read more

Transfusion price drop

Intravenous news: The BBC report “NHS hospitals in England and North Wales are saving millions of pounds because the price charged for donated blood has gone down. The organisation which collects, Read more

Phlebotomy certification

Intravenous news: news-medical.net report “Beginning in October, the Graduate School’s new Center for Health Sciences will offer a Medical Laboratory Technician, Associate of Applied Science degree and a Read more

Preventing HAI research

Intravenous news: Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute are assessing the impact of Medicare’s policy of adjusting payment for healthcare-associated infections (HAI) on health Read more

Positive displacement connectors

Intravenous news: ICT.com report “In a letter to infection preventionists, Susan Gardner, director of the Office of Surveillance and Biometrics in the Center for Devices and Radiological Health at the Food and Drug Read more

Metro-Island INS Chapter

Intravenous news: Nurse.com report “The Metro-Island Chapter of the Intravenous Nurses Society held its 20th Read more

Zero CLABSI campaign

Intravenous news: InfectionControlToday.com report “Are central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) Read more

PICC investigation involves police

Intravenous news: CNN report “Police in Las Vegas, Nevada, are investigating incidents in which 14 intravenous and Read more

3M innovation video contest

Intravenous news: 3M have announced “To highlight innovative infection prevention practices Read more

Tackling CRBSI

Intravenous news: InfectionControlToday report “Hospitals still struggle to prevent avoidable healthcare-acquired Read more

Hemodialysis infection prevention

Intravenous news: APIC report “In an effort to establish universally accepted best practices for Read more

Intravenous Paracetamol alert

Intravenous news: The MHRA report “Cases of accidental overdose have been reported during treatment with Read more

LPNs role in intravenous therapy

Intravenous news: The Yukon’s licensed practical nurses (LPNs) are now able to carry out more duties and Read more

Safer administration of insulin

Intravenous news: The NPSA have issued resources related to the safer administration of insulin. The NPSA Read more

IV potassium error death

Intravenous news: dailymail.co.uk report “A grandmother being treated in hospital for a mild case of pneumonia died after Read more

NCEPOD Parenteral Nutrion report

Intravenous news: The Press Association report “Patients are suffering as a result of “major deficiencies” in the way Read more

Heparin lawsuit continues

Intravenous news: SCPR.org report “A representative for a health care provider today responded to a lawsuit by Dennis Read more

CLABSI reduction by 18 percent

Intravenous news: APIC report “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report today showing that Read more

Safer injections

Intravenous news: The Safe Injection Practices Coalition (SIPC) is launching a new educational video for U.S. Read more

IV drug error payout

Intravenous news: oclnn.com report ‘Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo has been fined Read more

PICC advice

Intravenous alert: Recent MHRA one liner offers some short advice on PICC safety. The MHRA state “Intravenous Read more

IV errors investigated

Intravenous products: NursingTimes.net report “Senior nurses could form special investigation teams which would be Read more

£100,000 fine following IV error

Intravenous news: TimesOnline.co.uk report “A hospital trust that was fined £100,000 yesterday after Read more

Blood glucose lancet re-use error

Intravenous news: Associated Press report: “A group of New Mexico medical school students failed to properly Read more

Wrong route injection death

Intravenous news: TheStandard.com.hk report “A drug wrongly injected into leukemia patient Lui Hau-lam’s Read more

INS UK & Ireland launched

Intravenous news: The INS have announced that Mary Harney, Minister for Health and Children in Ireland, Read more

Needlestick injury investment

Intravenous news: News-Medical.net report “According to the Australian Nurses Federation (ANF) there are Read more

Central line cardiac tamponade

Intravenous news: Leagle.com report “Shortly after Jamia Hoard was born at Roper Hospital in Charleston, Read more

Infusion pump improvement

Intravenous news: FDA report “External infusion pumps are medical devices that deliver fluids, including Read more

Transfusion infection review

Intravenous news: BBC.co.uk report “A composer who contracted HIV and hepatitis C through an NHS blood Read more

Peripheral IV MRSA death

Intravenous news: IrishTimes.com report “A prominent Cork mathematician died after he was discharged from Read more

Home IV achievement award

Intravenous news: NHIA.org report “NHIA honored long-standing volunteer, Debbie Cain, R.N., CRNI®, with the 2010 Gene Read more

IV removal injury

Intravenous news: TheStandard.com.hk report “A nurse has cut a three-day-old baby’s thumb in yet another Read more

Fluid balance death

Intravenous news: The Evening Telegraph report “A hospital has apologised to the family of a man for Read more

Central line placement pack

Intravenous news: SunTimes.com report “Two years ago, rates of intravenous tube-related infections at Mount Read more

Infusion phlebitis damages awarded

Intravenous news: Kennedys-Law.com report on Case Law “Kettolety v The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Read more

Nurse probably contaminated saline flush

Intravenous news: TampaBay.com report “A hepatitis C outbreak at a holistic medical clinic in Brandon was likely Read more

Poor fluid balance

Intravenous news: RyeAndBattleObserver.co.uk report “A Coroner has said better monitoring should have been given to an Read more

Sharps injury danger

Intravenous news: NursingTimes.net report “Nurses will remain at risk of unnecessary sharps injuries Read more

Health trust has pleaded guilty

Intravenous news: BBC News report “A health trust has pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety regulations Read more

Pediatric infusion center opens

Intravenous news: News-Medical.net report “The Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases of Las Vegas, Read more

Adverse transfusion events

Intravenous news: InfectionControlToday.com report “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has Read more

Health devices award

The ECRI Institute are calling for submissions for the 2010 Health Devices Achievement Award. An award honouring Read more

Central line educational program

Intravenous news: To help consumers avoid the dangerous infections inherent with prolonged catheter use, the Read more

Needlestick injury psychological harm

Intravenous news: The Court of Appeal recently made a judgment in the case Fryers vs Belfast Health and Social Read more

Gentamicin errors

Intravenous news: NPSA report “Patient safety incidents have been reported involving administration of gentamicin at the Read more

vCJD in blood recipients

Intravenous news: Department of Health report “This paper was prepared for the CJD Incidents Panel, which Read more

Central line infection report

Intravenous news: ConsumerReports.org report “If there’s one thing that all sides agree on in the health-care-reform debate, Read more

OHPAT poster

Intravenous news: Carol Low, Lead Nurse OHPAT and Dr MPA Lessing FRCP, Speciality Director Infectious diseases & OHPAT Service Read more

Fluid overload court case

Intravenous news: News.com.au report “A teenage girl is suing the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, claiming it Read more

Supporting needlestick prevention

Intravenous news: eGovMonitor.com report “The Employment and Social Affairs Committee today backed an Read more

Huber needle alert

Intravenous news: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced a Class I recall of Exel/Exelint Read more

IV company help Haiti

Intravenous news: PRnewswire.com  report “Hospira, Inc., a leading global specialty pharmaceutical and Read more

Blood donors required

Intravenous news: News-Medical.net report “For the sixth year in a row, the American Red Cross, NECN and Read more

IV history video

Intravenous news: Medgadget.com report “The Wellcome Trust recently setup a YouTube channel of historic medical Read more

Matching Michigan funding

Intravenous news: The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA), in collaboration with the Intensive Care Society and the Read more

Parenteral syringe oral drug error

Intravenous news: The FDA report “A recent report by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices says that despite past Read more

Intravenous (IV) drips sabotaged

Intravenous news: Mirror.co.uk report “A woman has been arrested after intravenous drips used in a hospital’s child and female wards Read more

Facebook urgent blood appeal

Intravenous news: Telegraph.co.uk report “The family of a British student, Philip Pain, launched an urgent Facebook appeal for blood Read more

Central-line infection reduction

Intravenous news: YorkPress.co.uk report “Bug-busting health workers are in the running for a national accolade. Critical care staff at York Read more

Heparin flush lawsuit

Intravenous news: attorneyatlaw.com report “Relatives of a Texas man who died after receiving a contaminated dose of the blood Read more

Community intravenous (IV) therapy team

Intravenous news: PontefractAndCastlefordExpress.co.uk report “While most residents are tucking into their Read more

Hep C outbreak report published

Intravenous news: InfectionControlToday.com report “According to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Read more

Hand hygiene video contest

Intravenous news: InfectionControlToday.com report “Proper hand hygiene remains one of the most effective and least costly ways to Read more

Adrenaline Epipens ‘to expire’

Intravenous news: The BBC report “A quarter of a million adrenaline pens – a potential lifesaver for those with severe allergies – will Read more

Smart IV pump results

Intravenous news: FoxBusiness.com report “Lancaster General Health in Lancaster, Pa., today released data quantifying the benefits of auto Read more

16 patients infected with HepC

Intravenous news: Associated Press report “A former Army nurse who admitted infecting patients with hepatitis C while Read more

IV feet amputation

Intravenous news: iol.co.za report “A distraught Gauteng mother is suing provincial health authorities for maiming her Read more

Get smart with sharps

Intravenous news: The Coast News report “A new campaign promoting the responsible disposal of needles was launched on Read more

Needlestick legislation expansion

Intravenous news: The Government of Ontario report “Ontario is increasing protection for health Read more

IV drug mix-ups

Intravenous news: The NHS is threatening to stop using current drug equipment in a bid to get firms to start making safer Read more

CRBSI £3.2 million payout

Intravenous news: The Press Association report “A boy who faces a lifetime of disability after developing septicaemia in hospital as a baby Read more

Q-Syte needlefree alert

Intravenous news: BD has received reports of air leaking into infusion lines through the BD Q-Syte needlefree IV connector. This may Read more

CDC IV guideline review

Intravenous news: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are expanding and updating the 2002 version of the ‘Guidelines for the Read more

Catheter-days versus patient-days

The NPSA Matching Michigan project team have recently reviewed wether catheter-days or patient-days are collected during central line Read more

IV error hospital being prosecuted

Intravenous news: BBC news report “A hospital in Swindon is to be prosecuted on health and safety charges over the death of a Read more

IV DVT 10,000 payout

Intravenous news: thisisnottingham.co.uk report “A hospital has awarded £10,000 to a patient who developed Read more

OPHAT service praised by BBC

Intravenous news: BBC news report “Like most patients, William Hutcheson does not like being in hospital.
Read more

10,000 needlesticks each year in home care

Intravenous news: eScienceNews.com report “Patients continue to enter home healthcare ‘’sicker and quicker,” Read more

Reusing single-use IV supplies

Intravenous news: Broward Health report “Broward General Medical Center is reviewing one nurse’s practice Read more

Heparin safety changes

Intravenous news: PRnewswire.com report “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today alerted health care Read more

PICC tip position statement

Intravenous news: The Infusion Nurses Society (INS) convened a national task force of infusion therapy experts to Read more

Saving lives support material

Intravenous news: Saving IVs is an implementation package for the peripheral IV elements of Saving Lives (DH Read more

Contaminated needle prosecution

Intravenous news: The New York Times report “A former hospital surgical technician who may have infected dozens of surgical p Read more

Promethazine FDA Boxed Warning

Intravenous news: FDA is requiring a Boxed Warning for promethazine hydrochloride injection, USP products to better Read more

Heparin label confusion

Intravenous news: Attorneyatlaw.com report “Hollywood actor Dennis Quaid and his wife have asked the Illinois Supreme Court to order a state court to hear their lawsuit blaming confusing labeling on the blood-thinning drug Heparin for causing a medical mishap that nearly killed the couples infant twins.

The Quaids accuse Baxter Healthcare Corp., the maker of Heparin, of negligence for packaging the full-strength form of Heparin similarly to a diluted form of the drug, called Hep-Lock, which is designed for use in pediatric patients.

Heparin and Hep-Lock are both anticoagulants commonly used to prevent clogging blockages in intravenous lines. In November 2007, a nurse at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles mistakenly administered full-strength Heparin to the Quaid twins, causing near fatal internal bleeding to occur. It was later learned that by using Heparin instead of Hep-Lock, the nurse had administered doses that were 1,000 times greater than the recommended dose.

The hospital agreed to pay the Quaids $750,000 in damages after admitting mistakes were made.”

Click here for the full story.

Venous Assessment Tool

Intravenous news: A former Birmingham-based nurse has come up with an innovative idea that is set to benefit chemotherapy patients – or anyone who needs intravenous treatment.

Sara Wells (pictured) developed two assessment tools for health care professionals to use while working as a sister on the haematology day unit at University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) NHS Foundation Trust.

MidTECH, the West Midlands NHS Innovation Hub, has now helped Sara to find a company to develop, print and distribute VAT and DIVA commercially. The Venous Assessment Tool (VAT) and the Deciding on Intravenous Access (DIVA) were developed by Sara as part of her research for a Masters thesis.

Sara’s paper-based assessment tools help nurses to assess patients for the most appropriate device to deliver medication directly into each patient’s veins. Sara, who started a new job as a bone marrow transplant coordinator for Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust in August, said the tools would primarily be used for chemotherapy patients.

“When a patient is admitted to hospital with haematological problems, they may need to have a range of treatments delivered into their veins,” she said. “VAT and DIVA aim to help nurses make a proactive assessment when a patient arrives to ensure the most appropriate venous access device is used. “The tools not only enable healthcare staff do a better job, by assisting in decision making, but they also help patients by reducing the risk of problems developing in relation to their intravenous treatment as their treatment progresses.

Sara, who has worked in the NHS for seven years, said she hoped her tools would be adopted by nurses across the country.

MidTECH approached 3M Health Care, of Loughborough, Leicestershire, for support and, in line with its aims, the company agreed to fund the development through an educational grant, through Tegaderm I.V. Dressings, a part of its healthcare division.

3M Health Care provides world-class innovative products and services to help healthcare professionals improve the practice, delivery and outcome of patient care in medical, oral care, drug delivery and health information markets. Emma Jenkins, Senior Marketing Executive for Tegaderm I.V. Dressings, said:  “The team at 3M felt that the tools developed by Sara provided an innovative way to support clinicians and improve patient outcomes.”

The educational grant provided by 3M covered the design and production of 2,500 laminated cards to be distributed to colleagues at UHB. This will ensure that the tools are widely distributed throughout the Trust, benefiting all clinicians involved in the care of patients receiving long-term intravenous treatment.

David Gleaves, chief executive of MidTECH, said: “We are delighted to have been able to help Sara to turn her well-researched idea into an extremely useful tool that will help healthcare professionals to deliver the best treatment for patients.”

Hospital wide CLABSI surveillance

Intravenous news: Sarah Cooper (IV Nurse Specialist) and her surveillance team completed a hospital-wide CLABSI surveillance Read more

Clean hands campaign 2009

Intravenous news: The Clean Hands Coalition (CHC) launches the International Clean Hands Week from September 20th to 26th Read more

Mixing of medicines

Intravenous news: The MHRA published the outcome of MLX 356 on the mixing of medicines in palliative care together Read more

IV cannula not removed

Intravenous news: stuff.co.nz report “Two elderly women have been sent home from Taranaki Base Hospital with the Read more

TPN infection reduction

Intravenous news: IMN.ie report ” The introduction of a dedicated total parenteral nutrition (TPN) surveillance clinical nurse Read more

Hydration of terminally ill patients

Intravenous news: OncologyNursingNews.com report “Whether to hydrate terminally ill patients has been debated for decades and there Read more

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