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

IV infusion reactions in critical care

Intravenous news: UPI.com report “German researchers suggest some infusion solutions in a common intravenous treatment may cause life-threatening inflammation. The study, published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, found a common intravenous treatment used to boost blood pressure in critical patients contains substances called “advanced glycation end products.” This reaction among various proteins occurring after the fluid has been formulated for use is called “post-translational modification.” The researchers suggest screening infusion solutions for post-translational protein modifications and then removing the compounds.”

Click here to read the full story on UPI.com

Topical epinephrine injection death

Intravenous news: FDA report “The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) recently cited a report from the ISMP Canada Safety Bulletin about the death of a patient who was accidentally injected with topical epinephrine. The attending surgeon and nurse mistakenly thought the syringe they were using contained lidocaine with epinephrine 1:100,000.

ISMP noted an earlier case in which a child died from cardiac arrest after his ear was infiltrated with a syringe containing epinephrine 1:1,000 that had been filled from an open cup. The physician mistakenly assumed that the solution in the cup contained lidocaine with epinephrine 1:100,000.”

Click here for the full report.

Zero BSI website launched

Intravenous news: InfectionControlToday.com report “As a market leader committed to educating the clinical community about patient and clinician safety, CareFusion is introducing the Getting to Zero BSI Web site to provide timely, evidence-based resources to help guide clinicians and their healthcare facilities and to speed their “Getting to Zero BSI” journey. The Web site contains a wealth of resources that explain the many means by which catheter-associated bloodstream infections (CA-BSIs) can occur as well as a variety of data-driven techniques that can be employed to help reduce them and to therefore facilitate a community of practice.”

Click here to view the website.

Safety IV cannula newsletter

Intravenous news: BBraun have published the summer 2009 edition of Safety News. Topics include Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust safety news and the launch of IV cannula packs into the George Eliot NHS Trust in Warwickshire. Click here to view the newsletter.

Click here for iv safety cannula product information.

Introduction

“As you may be aware, following first stage consultation back in December 2006 the European Commission considered that the protection of workers against blood-borne infections resulting from needlestick injuries should be improved. The Commission felt that too many European health sector workers were exposed to needlestick injuries and considered that Member States must make an effort to apply national legislation in this area.”

Click here to view the full newsletter.

Click here for iv safety cannula product information.

Infusion error deaths

Intravenous news: ISMP.org report “ISMP recently learned about the tragic deaths of two 6-year-old children stemming from severe postoperative hyponatremia. The fatal events occurred at two different hospitals. In at least one of these cases, it is clear that the rapid administration of plain D5W (dextrose 5% in water) postoperatively resulted in acute hyponatremia secondary to free water retention (also called water intoxication, which is described below). Postoperative children are at high risk for developing hyponatremia, and many fatalities from this disorder have been reported in the literature. When the serum sodium concentration rapidly falls below 120 mEq/L over 24 to 48 hours—as in the two events described below—the body’s compensatory mechanism is often overwhelmed and severe cerebral edema ensues, resulting in brainstem herniation, mechanical compression of vital midbrain structures, and death.”

Click here for the full article.

Blood collection safety in Africa

Intravenous news: Afrique en ligne report “US officials have signed a pact with a leading global technology company launching an initiative to help protect the health of healthcare personnel and patients in African countries, the US State Department said.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed in Washington Tuesday by Ambassador Elizabeth Bagley, the U.S. Department of State Special Representative for Global Partnerships, and Gary M. Cohen, Executive Vice President of Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD).

Through this partnership, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) will work with BD to improve blood collection safety in clinics and hospitals in sub-Saharan Africa.”

Click here for the full report.

IV device identification

Intravenous news: The Institute for Safe Medication Practices report “A patient with a low potassium level was due to receive three sequential, hour-long infusions of highly concentrated potassium chloride 20 mEq in minibags. A primary IV of 0.9% sodium chloride was infusing so the patient’s nurse attached a secondary IV set to the first potassium chloride minibag, connected it to the primary line, and began infusing the solution via a pump. She came back to the patient’s room when the second dose was due and noticed the potassium solution was flowing quickly into the drip chamber. She then realized the solution was flowing into the primary IV bag rather than the patient”.

Click here for the full item.

Purple not an IV or enteral standard

Intravenous news: The Institute for Safe Medication Practices report “Purple is not an official standard for either enteral feeding equipment or PICC lines.” They describe “an epileptic patient who was supposed to receive oral KEPPRA (levetiracetam) liquid via a PEG tube instead received it IV via a Bard PowerPICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) line. An oral Baxa amber syringe that held the levetiracetam did not connect properly to the hub of the PICC line, however it could be held easily against the opening for the injection. It’s possible that the experienced nurse who incorrectly gave the drug IV was confused by a purple color system available from Covidien for enteral feeding equipment. The color is identical to the purple coloring used for the patient’s Bard PowerPICC line. Learn more about preventing errors like this in your facility in the newsletter”.

Click here for the newsletter.

Click here for more information from ASPEN.

Heparin liability lawsuit

Intravenous news: SunJournal.com report “Dennis Quaid and his wife sued the makers of heparin Tuesday after their newborn twins were inadvertently given massive doses of the blood thinner at a hospital.

The product liability lawsuit, filed in Chicago, seeks more than $50,000 in damages. It claims that Baxter Healthcare Corp., based in Deerfield, Ill., was negligent in packaging different doses of the product in similar vials with blue backgrounds. The lawsuit also says the company should have recalled the large-dosage vials after overdoses killed three children at an Indianapolis hospital last year.”

Click here for the full story.

Hand hygiene guidelines revised

Intravenous news: InfectionControlToday.com report “The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN)  announces that it has revised terminology in its recently published “Recommended Practices for Hand Hygiene in the Perioperative Setting” to account for the multiple regulatory paths related to hand hygiene products. The following terminology revising recommendation III of this recommended practice was submitted and approved by AORN’s board of directors on July 17, 2009: “A surgical hand scrub should be performed by healthcare personnel before donning sterile gloves for surgical or other invasive procedures. Use of either an antimicrobial surgical scrub agent intended for surgical hand antisepsis or an alcohol-based antiseptic surgical hand rub with documented persistent and cumulative activity that has met U.S. Food and Drug (FDA) regulatory requirements for surgical hand antisepsis is acceptable.”

Click here for the full story.

Weight gain following IV fluids

Intravenous news: wvrecord.com report “A Boone County woman says a Charleston hospital gave her too much intravenous fluids and caused her to gain 20 pounds. Cynthia Gay filed a lawsuit June 18 in Kanawha Circuit Court against Charleston Area Medical Center, the West Virginia University Board of Governors and Dr. Damian Maxwell.

Maxwell performed an exploratory laparotomy and ileocecectomy on Gay, the complaint says. After the procedures, Gay was started on intravenous fluids as she convalesced. Gay says staff at the hospital was negligent and didn’t monitor how much IV fluids she was being given. As a result, on Nov. 3, 2007, Gay says she weighed 124 pounds”.

Click here for the full story.

Quality review into IV syringe use

Intravenous news: The Canadian Press report “A quality review says isolation and old habits were the main reasons that a northern Alberta hospital recycled syringes that were meant to be used only once. The government asked the Health Quality Council of Alberta to investigate after it was discovered last year that the High Prairie Health Complex was reusing syringes to inject medicine into intravenous lines.

The council says isolated medical staff in the reasonably remote community were not being kept up to date on new developments”.

Click here for the full story.

Saline drip – suspected overdose

Intravenous news: The Sun report “Police are probing the death of a baby who died after being given a suspected salt overdose in hospital. The tiny boy, who had been born prematurely, had been on a saline solution drip.

Horrified nurses realised his sodium levels had suddenly rocketed and he was acutely dehydrated. Medics desperately fought to save him but he lost his fight for life three days later. Last night, sources said early investigations showed the death had probably been caused by a blunder at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham. A hospital insider said: “It very much looks like there has been a huge mistake with the dosage quantities.”

Click here for the full story.

RCN comments on sharps injury agreement

Intravenous news: The Royal College of Nursing today welcomed the signing of a joint agreement by European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) and the European Hospital and Healthcare Employers Association (HOSPEEM). This is an EU-wide agreement which the RCN has played a key role in bringing about to prevent one million medical sharps injuries per year. Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said:

“Around half of nurses in the UK have been injured by a needle or sharp and we are delighted that the voice of our members has been heard in Europe on this issue. Nurses work in fear of needlestick injuries and, while the deal is welcome, we are concerned that it might take a number of years to be implemented in the UK. We are calling for speedy implementation of these measures in order to end the stress, trauma and serious medical consequences of these preventable accidents. It is vital that more people are not injured while we wait for safer practices to reach the workplace.”

Dr Carter continues “It is very clear – needle policies, training and investment in safer needles can help prevent these accidents from happening in the first place. Nurses must also receive proper support from their employers when they sustain an injury to prevent the feelings of stress and isolation that often accompany such trauma. By making these changes and safeguarding the health of all staff, we can improve patient care in the UK and throughout Europe.”

EU sharps safety agreement signed

Intravenous news: The European Hospital and Healthcare Sector Social Partners – The European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) represented by the President of EPSU health Committee, Karen Jennings and the European Hospital and Healthcare Employers’ Association (HOSPEEM) represented by General Secretary, Godfrey Perera today signed a European agreement, which is set to prevent medical sharps injuries for the whole health workforce in Europe.

Click here for the full press release.

Click here to view the agreement text.

Click here to view a video of the signing.

Hepatitis – IV contamination

Intravenous news: LoHud.com report “A surgical technician addicted to painkillers who has been jailed in Colorado on accusations of injecting herself with syringes used for surgery may have also exposed Northern Westchester Hospital patients to hepatitis C, officials said yesterday.

“If there was a moment when she could get her hands on a syringe filled with the painkiller fentanyl, she would grab it and she would inject herself, then put it back without anyone seeing her. That was her MO, if you will,” said Joel Seligman, president and chief executive officer at Northern Westchester Hospital, referring to the Colorado case”.

Click here for the full story.

Hand hygiene guidelines from WHO

Intravenous news: The final, revised and updated version of the World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines on Hand Hygiene  is now available online.

Introduction:

“The WHO Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care provide health-care workers (HCWs), hospital administrators and health authorities with a thorough review of evidence on hand hygiene in health care and specific recommendations to improve practices and reduce transmission of pathogenic microorganisms to patients and HCWs. The present Guidelines are intended to be implemented in any situation in which health care is delivered either to a patient or to a specific group in a population. Therefore, this concept applies to all settings where health care is permanently or occasionally performed, such as home care by birth attendants. Definitions of health-care settings are proposed in Appendix 1. These Guidelines and the associated WHO Multimodal Hand Hygiene Improvement Strategy and an Implementation Toolkit (http://www.who.int/gpsc/en/) are designed to offer health-care facilities in Member States a conceptual framework and practical tools for the application of recommendations in practice at the bedside. While ensuring consistency with the Guidelines’ recommendations, individual adaptation according to local regulations, settings, needs, and resources is desirable. (WHO 2009)”

Click here for the full document.

Fifty percent of injections unsafe

Intravenous news: PlusNews.org report “Injections and needles are still not being used properly in African health Read more

Mobile chemotherapy clinic

Intravenous news: HealthExec.tv Report “Cancer charity Tenovus is revolutionising the care of patients in Wales with a hi-tech mobile chemotherapy clinic that delivers treatment in the heart of local communities.

The mobile clinic, provided by specialist supplier EMS, is cutting hospital waiting times and improving patients’ access to vital services – removing the cost and strain of travel.

Click here to view the video review on HealthExec.tv

Enteral feed given intravenously

Intravenous news: TypicallySpanish.com report “A premature baby who lost his mother to Swine Flu dies in Spanish hospital from a dreadful medical error. Rayan was said to be progressing well when, on Sunday evening, a nurse from another department, who El País said was on duty for the first time in the hospital’s neonatal ICU, mistakenly administered premature baby formula into a vein. It should have been delivered by tube to the baby’s stomach”.

Click here for the full story.

Michigan Keystone ICU Project

Intravenous news: HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today released the first in a series of health care “success story” reports that document innovative programs and initiatives that can serve as models for a reformed American health care system. The inaugural report highlights the Michigan Keystone ICU Project. A joint partnership between the Michigan Health & Hospital Association and the Johns Hopkins University, the Michigan Keystone ICU Project helped dramatically reduce the number of health care associated infections in Michigan, saving over 1,500 lives and $200 million.

“We know there are tremendous examples of efficient, high-quality health care in America today. Our challenge is spreading these good examples across the country,” said Sebelius. “Our reports will showcase success stories like the Michigan Keystone ICU Project and highlight how health reform can improve the quality of care for all Americans.”

Medical errors including health care associated infections claim the lives of nearly 100,000 patients in America every year and patient safety measures have worsened by nearly 1 percent each year for the past decade. The Michigan Keystone ICU Project worked to make patient care safer in over 100 ICUs in the state of Michigan. The project targeted a specific type of infection that ICU patients can get while in the hospital: catheter-related bloodstream infections. To help reduce these infections, the project worked to ensure clinicians used a simple checklist when inserting catheters into ICU patients.

Click here for the full press release.

Blood culture contamination

Intravenous news: Bev Bacon and Louise Lowry have submitted a ‘Working together to reduce blood culture contamination rates and MRSA bacteraemia’ poster to the IVTEAM website.

Click here to view the poster.

CareFusion Jazz Festival

Intravenous news: CareFusion Corporation, the company that has been formed from a planned spinoff of Cardinal Health’s clinical and medical products businesses, has launched the CareFusion Jazz Festival Series at an event held at the City Winery in New York. The CareFusion Jazz Festival Series was created to support the launch of its new brand and recognize individuals and organizations working to improve patient care.

“There is a clear connection between jazz and medicine that provides the perfect opportunity to launch our new brand, raise funds for and awareness of patient safety and help support and preserve the arts,” said David Schlotterbeck, CEO of CareFusion. “Both jazz and the practice of medicine embrace innovation, performance and change. Jazz is also used to teach listening skills to medical students and resonates with our customers. In addition, the musicians playing at these festivals are the best and the brightest—a great fit for our company whose products are recognized as leaders in our industry.”

The CareFusion Jazz Festival Series uses jazz to shine a light on healthcare safety and those working to improve care. The best and brightest musicians will be playing at some of the world’s largest and oldest jazz festivals, making it the perfect opportunity to increase awareness, raise funds for worthy charities, and support the festivals—all while enjoying the healing sounds of jazz.

Click here for the full press release.

Click here for the Carefusion Jazz website.

Improper IV administration

Intravenous news: TheLocal.se report “A patient at Danderyd hospital in Stockholm was reported dead after having received a nutritional intravenous drip too quickly, reports Radio Stockholm.

According to a report the hospital submitted to the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen), the patient received a drip that was enough for twelve hours in the span of an hour”.

CLABSI and RN ratio

Intravenous news: MedicalNewsToday.com report “The public was well-served today with the release of a report by the New York State Department of Health (DOH) about hospital-acquired infection rates at specific facilities in New York State.

But more information is needed about how to correct these problems, such the high rate of central line-associated bloodstream infections identified in the report. These types of infections are directly related to the number of patients assigned to each registered nurse”.

Click here for the full story.

Infusion fluid settlement

Intravenous news: MSN Money report “Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway has reached a $2 million settlement with Baxter International Inc., one of the world’s largest manufacturers of intravenous solutions and products used in delivery of fluids and drugs to patients.

Conway said in a news release that Deerfield, Ill.-based Baxter published inflated average prices for its IV solutions, at times exceeding 1,300 percent more than the real price, which caused Kentucky Medicaid to pay substantially more than it should have.”

Click here for the full story.

Intravenous interaction

Intravenous news: The FDA has issued an update on earlier recommendations about the interaction between the antibiotic ceftriaxone and intravenous products that contain calcium.

“In certain circumstances, this interaction can cause dangerous precipitates to form. Ceftriaxone is sold as Rocephin and also as a generic. Products that contain calcium include Ringer’s solution, Hartmann’s solution and parenteral nutrition formulations that contain calcium. FDA had previously recommended that ceftriaxone and calcium-containing IV products not be administered within 48 hours of one another for patients of all ages. This has now changed. It is no longer necessary to wait 48 hours in patients over 28 days old, provided that certain precautions are followed. And FDA is still stressing that ceftriaxone must not be used in neonates if they are receiving or will receive calcium-containing IV products.

Ceftriaxone and products that contain calcium may now be administered sequentially to patients older than 28 days of age, as long as the infusion lines are thoroughly flushed between infusions with a compatible fluid. However, ceftriaxone must not be administered simultaneously with intravenous calcium-containing solutions through a Y-site. FDA also continues to advise practitioners not to reconstitute or mix ceftriaxone with products that contain calcium.

There are no data on whether ceftriaxone might interact with calcium-containing products that are given orally. It’s also not clear whether intramuscular ceftriaxone might interact with calcium-containing products, either IV or oral”.

Click here for the full report from the FDA.

Lyme disease legislation

Intravenous news: InfectionControlToday report “Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and Chairman of its Subcommittee on Children and Families, along with Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), have introduced the Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education, and Research Act of 2009. The bill is co-sponsored by Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), Sen. Joe Lieberman (ID-CT), Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-MD)”.

“Every year, tens of thousands of Americans working or playing outdoors are bitten by ticks. For most, it is nothing more than a minor annoyance. But approximately 20,000 Americans contract Lyme disease each year, and the numbers are rising,” said Dodd. “And because Lyme disease is difficult to diagnose, many experts believe the true number of cases each year could be as much as 12 or 12 times the reported number. Worst of all, it’s our children who are most at risk.”

Click here for the full story.

Zero central line infections

Intravenous news: Tim Royer, BSN, CRNI completed prospective surveillance at the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System in Seattle, Washington and presented his findings as an Oral Abstract titled “Using Clear Valves and Flushing with 20ml in the Adult Population to Attain Zero Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infection (CLABSI) Rate: A Prospective Surveillance.”

The data presented consisted of six years of surveillance data spanning from January 2003 to December 2008. The abstract presentation and research was awarded first place in its category by the Infusion Nursing Society.

Click here to view the poster.

Needlestick prevention delay

Intravenous news: The Nursing Times report “NHS Employers is unlikely to recommend that the NHS implement new European guidelines on needlestick injuries until at least 2011″.

“Speaking last week Karen Jennings, Unison’s head of health, called on the NHS to ‘take the initiative’ and ‘start using safer needles and adopting the new prevention guidelines across the UK now’.

“But a spokesperson from NHS Employers told Nursing Times that the NHS was already compliant with high standards of needlestick and sharps usage, and that it would not be taking immediate action following the agreement”.

Click here for the full story.

Intravenous infusion at home

Intravenous news: IrishTimes.com report “A new pilot scheme to treat rheumatoid arthritis sufferers outside the hospital has been hailed as a success by doctors working in the field.

Currently most patients who receive expensive mono-clonal antibody treatments intravenously do so in hospitals, but a number of pilot schemes in the Dublin area have found that the drugs can be given efficiently, either in a GP’s surgery or a health centre, with intravenous infusion.

The results of a pilot project in a health clinic in Dundrum Town Centre has been published in The Irish Journal of Medical Science.

Its findings will be revealed at a major conference on arthritis which takes place at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin from this Friday, June 19th until Sunday, June 21st”.

Click here for the full story.

Peripheral IV MRSA reduction

Intravenous news: Peter Orsman et al (2009) have submitted a poster that looks at Interventions to Prevent Bloodstream Read more

Pathology improvement

Intravenous news: NHS Improvement are requesting expressions of interest from potential pathology pilot sites. They are working in partnership with the Department of Health Pathology Team.

The role of the Pathology Improvement Team is to:

• provide service improvement and redesign expertise, including Lean and Six Sigma methodology
• provide clinical and managerial expertise in radiology and pathology
• support the delivery of timely access, high quality and effective patient centered diagnostic services
• support the delivery of NHS guidelines and DH policy.

Click here for more information.

Hand hygiene in Australia

Intravenous news: Australia’s World Health Organization infectious disease expert and Director of Hand Hygiene Australia has urged all health professionals to improve infection control and save lives by adopting the new National Hand Hygiene Initiative.
The world-first Initiative is based on award-winning Australian research that shows using alcohol-based hand rub is the single-most effective way to prevent and control bloodstream infections, such as golden staph.

“This simple 15-second hand rub routine has the potential to save the lives of 1,500 Australians a year,” explains Professor Lindsay Grayson, Director of Hand Hygiene Australia.”

Click here for the full news item on news-medical.net

Click here for the Hand Hygiene Australia webpage.

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Needle safety legislation for UK

Intravenous news: The Nursing Times report “The European Federation of Public Service Unions and the European Hospital and Healthcare Employers Association yesterday announced an EU-wide agreement on measures to make needles safer, which are expected to become legislation by the end of the year.

Karen Jennings, UNISON’s head of health, who led negotiations on behalf of the union federation, said: ‘Subjecting thousands of NHS workers every year to the terror of dirty needles is unnecessary and inhumane, when safer needles are available and cost very little more”.

Click here for the full story.

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Safer needles in the European Union

Intravenous news: The Nursing Times report “UK hospitals will have to introduce self-resheathing needles under European Union health and safety legislation on reducing needlestick injuries. A landmark agreement on the safer use of needles to prevent injury among hospital staff was set to be announced on 9 June at the European Public Services Unions annual congress in Brussels, Belgium.

The agreement has been made between the European Public Services Unions – which represents the majority of health trade unions across the EU including Unison, the RCN and the RCM – and Hospeem which represents hospitals and healthcare employers across Europe, including the NHS Confederation.

It is expected to become EU health and safety legislation before the end of the year. As a result, hospitals across the EU will soon be legally obliged to take action to prevent needlestick injuries to their staff”.

Click here for the full story.

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Misuse of IV fluid bags

Intravenous news: The Jamaica Gleaner reports “A nurse, who was attached to the May Pen Hospital, is facing a six-month suspension after a baby - born prematurely – died while under her care in August 2008″.

They continue “At one point, the child’s body temperature began to fall. It is alleged that the nurses used a microwave oven to heat bags containing intravenous fluid. These were then wrapped in towels and blankets before the child was placed on top of them… It is further alleged that at least one of the bags burst and the hot content burnt the child, resulting in its death”.

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Contaminated heparin syringes

Intravenous news: chicagotribune.com report on a personal account of the tragic impact of contaminated heparin syringes on one family “Natalie Fullerton’s parents were thrilled to watch their year-old daughter bounce back from a double-lung transplant. Within months, she was mimicking her sister’s ballet poses and gleefully repeating the word “purple.”

Her father, Leslie, carefully tended to Natalie, following an intricate regimen to keep her healthy. After doctors implanted a tube in Natalie’s chest to give her intravenous medication, he dutifully used fluid-filled syringes to clean it.

Days later, the 29-month-old was back in a Texas hospital, breathless and feverish. Bacteria had infected her blood, the first in a cascade of complications over four months. In the end, Natalie died in her mother’s arms on March 12, 2008″.

Click here for the full story.

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Central line contamination

Intravenous news: Keyetv.com report “A Manor woman is accused of putting fecal matter into her 3-year-old daughter’s IV line. Emily McDonald, 23, is charged with a single count of injury to a child”. 

“According to the affidavit, video surveillance was set up in the girl’s room and McDonald was allegedly caught on camera taking fecal matter from her daughter’s soiled diaper and placing it in the cap to a intravenous central line that ran into the girl’s bloodstream”.

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Leaking IV (intravenous) bags

Intravenous news: The Timesonline report “A nurse is being questioned by detectives investigating the suspected sabotage of intravenous drip bags used on a children’s ward.

The 21-year-old woman from Wickford, Essex, was arrested this morning on suspicion of criminal damage and an offence under the public order act – contamination of goods. A batch of more than 30 intravenous bags, which contained sugars and salts to hydrate young patients, were seized by police from a store room at Basildon University Hospital, Essex, in April after they were discovered to be wet.

Of the batch 21 were found to have been punctured and detectives are waiting for the results of tests to see if they have been spiked with any dangerous substances”.

Click here for the full story.

UPDATE: Nurse bailed 3rd June 2009.

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IV cannula dwell time

Intravenous news: NewBritainHerald.com report “The state Department of Public Health has fined the Hospital of Central Connecticut $2,500 after inspections found violations that might have led to the death of a patient”.

The report continues “The violations include a patient who died after an intravenous catheter designed for two days’ use was left in 11 days”.

Click here to read the full the story.

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IV drip trial ended

Intravenous news: “Officials at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) have halted a multicenter clinical trial of concentrated saline administered to patients who have experienced trauma and go into shock as a consequence of blood loss while they are en route to a hospital.

Last August, when the trial’s data and safety monitoring board found evidence that patients who received the concentrated saline were no more likely to survive than those who received a standard saline solution, it suspended enrollment in the trial. Patients in this study who received the concentrated solution were more likely to die in the emergency department or before reaching the hospital than were patients who received the standard saline solution. Both groups experienced a similar death rate during the 28-day period after treatment; however, deaths occurred later in the normal saline group” (Kuehn 2009).

Reference

Kuehn, B.M. (2009) Saline Trial Ended. JAMA. 301(20), p.2085. 

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Sharp safety poll

Intravenous news: New IVTEAM Poll launched “Should the mandatory use of sharps safety devices be made European law?”

Please vote in the IVTEAM poll box shown at the bottom right of every IVTEAM page.

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SCOTVAN launch IV network

Intravenous news: The Scottish Vascular Access Network was launched on the 18th May 2009. The Scottish Vascular Access Network have come together to establish a collaborative group which will develop credibility by terminating the unknowns, discrepancies and misunderstandings surrounding the use of Vascular Access in Scotland. This will ultimately benefit patients and health-care professionals across the country as SCOTVAN aim to involve every Health Board in Scotland. Their aim is to promote sharing best practice and provide a platform for discussion and debate. This will be achieved by IV Therapy Nursing Staff, Educators and Infection Control Nurses networking with other IV therapy Specialists across Scotland.

Click here to visit the SCOTVAN website.

Click here for details of the SCOTVAN IV conference.

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Needlestick personal account

Intravenous news: “I felt a sharp sting. Looking down, I saw a small scarlet drop emerging from the tip of my left index finger. I had stabbed my finger against the needle I had just used to anesthetize Jean’s skin, a needle I still held in my right hand.

I stared at the tiny red bloom on my fingertip. And for a moment, I felt the floor beneath my feet give way, pulling everything — Jean, my heart, my work, my life — down with it. I stood there paralyzed, staring at the puncture wound on my fingertip and unable to stop the movie playing in my mind’s eye, a movie of a future like Jean’s”.

Click here for the full article from Dr Chen following a needlestick injury.

Read the comments on this story on the Tara Parker-Pope on Health blog.

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Assessment and care of intravenous lines

Intravenous news: Lawsuits involving problematic intravenous lines are the third most common cause of medical malpractice litigation in the United States, so nurses who maintain IVs must take personal accountability when managing complications, says an internationally known expert in infusion therapies. 

Because most complications from peripheral IVs are considered preventable and thus indefensible to the courts, the best defense a nurse can present is vigilant assessment and care of intravenous lines, says Sue Masoorli, RN, founder and president of Philadelphia-based Perivascular Nurse Consultants.

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