CDC Highlights Catheter Securement Devices, Venetec Announces.

Business Editors/Health & Medical Writers

ATLANTA--(BW HealthWire)--Aug. 16, 2002

Catheter securement devices have been recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a superior means of preventing dangerous bloodstream infections.

The recognition is contained in CDC's "Guidelines for the Prevention of Intravascular Catheter-Related Infections," a major new document published Aug. 9 in the center's prestigious Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report.

"Sutureless securement devices can be advantageous over suture in preventing catheter-related BSIs (bloodstream infections)," state the new CDC guidelines.

The CDC document cites a detailed study of catheter securement on 170 patients at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, comparing StatLock(R) catheter securement devices with suture.

The study concluded StatLock resulted in significantly fewer catheter-related BSIs, and that StatLock was also associated with fewer overall patient complications. The study by Drs. Alvin J. Yamamoto, Gregory Schears and colleagues appeared in the January 2002 issue of the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology.

StatLock is made by Venetec International, the world leader in safety securement devices. The device replaces tape and suture for securing virtually all IV catheters and medical tubing.

"The new CDC guidelines will have worldwide ramifications for medical practice and the IV marketplace," said Steve Bierman, M.D., CEO and medical director of Venetec International. "The message is clear: Doctors and nurses should stop suturing catheters and should instead use a sterile securement device to protect their patients against infection."

The CDC document provides guidance for clinicians who insert catheters and for those responsible for surveillance and control of infections in hospital, outpatient, and home healthcare settings. The guidelines were previously updated in 1996.

An estimated 16,000 patients in the U.S. develop catheter-related bloodstream infections each year, according to published research. These infections kill 12 percent to 25 percent of patients who get them, causing approximately 1,900 deaths to 4,000 deaths each year. Treatment costs for each infection can be as high as $29,000.

As part of the global $3 billion catheter securement market, 15 million central venous catheters and an additional 7 million arterial lines are placed in patients each year in the U.S. alone, with most of those 22 million catheters secured by suture.

"With suture now extensively implicated as the proximate cause of catheter-related infections, its use for catheter securement is clearly outdated and potentially dangerous to patients," said Dr. Bierman.

Dr. Schears said he was gratified that his research on sutureless securement is beginning to be recognized: "The studies consistently show that securement devices reduce securement-associated complications. In addition, the use of needle-free securement devices protects doctors and nurses against dangerous needlesticks," he said.

Among those praising the document was Marilyn Hanchett, R.N., Ph.D., a widely published expert on the science of catheter securement: "CDC's validation of catheter securement devices reflects rapid advances in this technology over the past five years," she said. "Those of us who study securement devices have concluded they improve patient outcomes, reduce exposure to accidental needlesticks, and lower the cost of care."

Venetec's Dr. Bierman noted that numerous medical manufacturers include StatLock with their catheters. "The new CDC guidelines underscore the foresight of Venetec's partners -- among them Arrow International, Cook Incorporated, and Medex Medical -- to include StatLock in their central venous catheter kits," he said. "These companies have proven themselves to be leaders in understanding the contribution that StatLock makes to preventing lethal bloodstream infections." Arrow International includes StatLock within its Extreme catheter kits, while Cook Incorporated includes the device in its Full Spectrum(R) catheter kits.

Among other companies including StatLock with their central venous/peripherally inserted central catheters are C.R. Bard, BD, HDC Corp., SIMS Deltec, Inc., and Vygon Corp. The custom-designed, adhesive-backed StatLock pad has an integrated, precision-molded anchor for connecting the pad to the catheter assembly.

In addition to its validation by CDC, StatLock's superiority over suture is documented in a recent paper published by one of the world's leading infection-control experts in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, as well as in three of Dr. Schears' studies published by the National Patient Safety Foundation and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).

Venetec International holds an intellectual property portfolio of more than 50 patents and has nearly as many patents pending. The company has agreements with many healthcare organizations, including Kaiser Permanente and the Veterans Health Administration.

StatLock devices are included in the catheter systems of Baxter Healthcare, Arrow International, BD, C.R. Bard, Cook, Inc., Medex Medical, Kendall/Tyco, Medical Components, Inc. (Medcomp), HDC Corp., SIMS Deltec, Inc., and others. StatLock is used in hundreds of healthcare facilities, including Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and the Cleveland Clinic. For more information, call [phone] or access www.StatLock.com.