MEMPHIS, Tenn. – (June 16, 2015) – Christie Medical Holdings, Inc., the global leader in mobile vascular imaging systems today announced updated results in a quality improvement study evaluating the use of VeinViewer® technology for the reduction of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) in an adult, renal-compromised population. By utilizing VeinViewer by Christie, the first and only full field digital HD vein imaging device on the market, over 675 unnecessary PICC lines were avoided in 2013 and 2014 compared to their 2012 baseline, an average yearly decrease of over 20 percent. The vein preservation study assessed if using VeinViewer by Christie resulted in an increased success rate of peripheral IV’s, resulting in a decrease in the number of PICCs placed solely due to the inability to gain peripheral access.
Recent discussions in the healthcare community call into question the use of PICC lines and the long-term impact. An article published in the February 2015 issue of Thrombosis Research titled Patterns, risk factors and treatment associated with PICC-DVT in hospitalized adults: A nested case-control study, the authors lead by Dr. Vineet Choppra, M.D., M.Sc., University of Michigan Medical School, state that physicians should only order PICC lines when truly needed due to the increased risk of clots. During research conducted in 2012 and 2013 nearly 30 percent of patients that received a PICC line at U-M Health System developed a clot associated with the line within 10 days.
The full results of the St. Elizabeth study were presented by Patti Wilcox BSN RN VA-BC Nurse Manager of the IV Therapy Team, last month to healthcare professionals at the Infusion Nurses Society Annual Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. Patients who have had PICC lines placed prior to arteriovenous fistula creation are more than three times as likely to experience AVF failure. In addition to vein preservation, a similar reduction in PICCs would result in a potential savings of $475,300 based on an average national PICC cost of approximately $700. Results like those achieved by St. Elizabeth Healthcare continue to validate the effectiveness of VeinViewer in reducing medically unnecessary PICC lines, their mounting costs and potential risk of infection and clotting, while offering a return on investment.
“We were very pleased to hear that VeinViewer by Christie continued to provide the same improvement rates for St. Elizabeth’s through the second year of use” said George Pinho, president of Christie Medical Holdings, Inc. “This shows the solid impact that our system can have on quality of patient care.”
VeinViewer by Christie is the only vein illumination device on the market that provides pre-, during-, and post-access benefits throughout the entire vascular access procedure and has been shown through clinical studies to increase both first stick success and patient satisfaction up to 100 percent.
To learn more about Christie product offerings: VeinViewer Vision2, VeinViewer VisionXTND and VeinViewer Flex, please visit our website at www.christiemed.com.
St. Elizabeth Healthcare
St. Elizabeth Healthcare operates six facilities throughout Northern Kentucky — Edgewood, Florence, Ft. Thomas, Covington, Grant and Falmouth. It also has vast resources to serve the Greater Cincinnati area, including almost 1,200 licensed beds, a physician organization which includes more than 86 primary care and specialty office locations, more than 1,200 physicians with admitting privileges, more than 7,400 associates including St. Elizabeth Physicians, more than 1,200 volunteers, three freestanding imaging centers and two outpatient ambulatory surgery centers. St. Elizabeth Healthcare is sponsored by the Diocese of Covington and provided more than $93 million in uncompensated care and benefit to the community in 2011. For more information, visit www.stelizabeth.com.
About Christie Medical Holdings, Inc.
Christie Medical Holdings Inc. is a global company based in Memphis, Tenn., 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. For more information on Christie Digital Systems or Christie Medical Holdings, visit www.christiemed.com.
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