Portsmouth, N.H. – IV dislodgement is a near-daily problem for clinicians and their patients, according to a recent focus group of vascular access experts. The clinicians also reported there is a need for better technology to mitigate the potentially serious consequences of frequent IV dislodgements.
“This research discussion addressed a frustrating problem that those of us in vascular see all too often,” said focus group participant Kevin Botelho, RN, BSN, VA-BC, a vascular access specialist at Concord Hospital, in Concord, N.H.
“Patients frequently move in ways that cause their IV lines to disconnect and sometimes there’s nothing we can do to stop it,” he said. “For instance, many patients are confused and don’t even realize they’re connected to a line. They’ll get up and walk away while connected. This leads to a whole chain of events that is problematic for the patients themselves as well as nurses and hospitals.”
The group of New England clinicians described several ways that preventing IV dislodgement could improve clinical quality. Their responses included:
* Reducing IV restarts
* Less trauma to patients by reducing restart-related needlesticks
* Preserving patient veins for subsequent procedures
* Maintaining IV access in emergency and critical care situations, and when transporting patients
* Lowered costs due to less waste of IV supplies.
The focus group was assembled as part of research by Linear Health Sciences, developer of the Orchid™ Safety Release Valve. The Orchid SRV is designed to safely prevent the unwanted dislodgement of IVs.
“The comments from these frontline experts underline the need for solutions to the problem of IV dislodgement,” said Ryan Dennis, MD, CEO and co-founder of Linear Health Sciences. “These nurses see every day that current IV line technology can’t safely withstand the macro forces to which it is sometimes subjected, even if a stabilization device is in use. They also see how patient care would improve and the cost of vascular access care would be lower through better technology.”
Linear Health Sciences is developing safety release valve technology for a variety of medical tubing. The company’s first product, the Orchid SRV, is designed to safely prevent the unwanted dislodgement of IVs. The device could provide advantages for patients, vascular access specialists, and hospitals. Those potential advantages include:
For patients:
* Fewer IV restarts including painful needlesticks
* Reduced potential for more invasive treatment such as central lines due to loss of peripheral IV integrity
For nurses:
* Greater efficiency through avoiding dislodgements and unscheduled IV restarts
* Less exposure to sharps injuries and potentially infected blood
For hospitals:
* Reduced potential for infiltrations, phlebitis and healthcare-acquired infections
* Cost savings due to more efficient use of nursing time and less need to replace entire IV setups because of accidental dislodgements
* Greater patient satisfaction
“From a clinical standpoint, avoiding restarting an IV means avoiding an invasive procedure,” Botelho said. “It also means fewer delays in patients’ receiving the fluids and medications they need. Also, if nurses don’t have to spend time doing avoidable restarts, they can spend more time doing other important tasks. With nursing time at a premium these days, every stakeholder in healthcare has an investment in solving this problem.”
About Linear Health Sciences
Founded by a physician and two engineers, Linear Health Sciences is the developer of the Orchid Safety Release Valve and other safety technology solutions for medical tubing. Those solutions are designed to improve the healthcare experience for patients, caregivers, and healthcare institutions. Linear Health is currently pursuing FDA clearance for the Orchid Safety Release Valve. For more information, access www.linearsciences.com.