MEMPHIS, Tenn. – (April 9, 2014) – The Infusion Nurses Society (INS) this month, released a pivotal position paper “Recommendations for Improving Safety Practices With Short Peripheral Catheters” which covers a nine-point statement of position to promote and ensure safe practices in short peripheral catheter (SPC) placement for the Health Care Practitioner (HPC) and the patient. Published in the Journal of Infusion Nursing, the paper recognizes a lack of standardization and knowledge in SPC practices as a key factor contributing to patient safety risks and outcomes. One of the recommendations made by the seven-member task force of infusion therapy experts was to “incorporate vein visualization technology as a routine strategy for patients with difficult or poor venous access. Visualization technology can improve success rates, decrease unsuccessful insertion attempts, and improve patient satisfaction” as stated in the report.
All three of the supporting evidence papers cited in the panel’s research regarding the recommendation of infrared vein visualization were studies done using VeinViewer® by Christie Medical Holdings, Inc., the inventor and global leader in direct projection vein imaging systems.
“The position paper citing Christie® clinical evidence truly validates using infrared light technologies for PIV vascular access,” said Chris Schnee, general manager and vice president of sales and marketing, at Christie. “The VeinViewer platform of devices as a hospital-wide solution has been clinically proven to substantially increase patient satisfaction scores and reduce both unneeded PIV and PICC attempts. The new healthcare landscape is riddled with uncertainty. Implementing technologies like VeinViewer that positively impact patient care does not have to be.”
Schnee added, “The INS recommendation emphasizes the importance of understanding preinsertion, insertion and post insertion practices for improving safety. This aligns directly with the Pre-, During- and Post-access (PDP) benefits VeinViewer provides.” The INS group also calls for the creation of SPC surveillance programs and audits to sustain improvement in process and performance, efforts which can also be facilitated by VeinViewer’s PDP capabilities.
VeinViewer technology is the only vein illumination device that provides Pre-, During-, and Post-access benefits throughout the entire vascular access procedure. The INS team reports that adverse events from SPC, such as an infiltration, are most likely to occur as a result of inadequate assessment or “failure to frequently assess, monitor, or maintain the SPC site.” With VeinViewer the clinician can confirm the refill rate of vessels, assess patency of an IV, detect hematomas as they form and potentially avoid infiltrations. VeinViewer has also been shown through clinical studies to increase both first stick success and patient satisfaction up to 100 percent and reduce medically unnecessary PICC lines by greater than 30 percent.
To learn more about Christie product offerings: VeinViewer Vision, VeinViewer VisionXTND and VeinViewer Flex, please visit our refreshed website at www.christiemed.com
About Christie Medical Holdings, Inc.
Christie Medical Holdings Inc. is a global company based in Memphis, Tennessee, that discovers, develops and commercializes medical technologies. The company’s market-leading product, VeinViewer, is a mobile vascular imaging system that allows health care providers to clearly see accessible vasculature as a real time HD image directly on the surface of the skin. Christie Medical Holdings Inc. is owned by Christie Digital Systems Inc., a global visual technologies company and a subsidiary of Ushio Inc., Japan (JP:6925). For more information on Christie Digital Systems or Christie Medical Holdings, visit www.christiemed.com.
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