3M South Africa launches several intravenous dressings for paediatric patients

A variety of topics related to intravenous complications and solutions including prevention of catheter related blood stream infections, the importance of partnership health care delivery, adult and paediatric IV therapy complications and solutions were discussed.

The dressings introduced at the summit are comprehensively designed to deliver exceptional patient care through advanced catheter securement, superior wear time and gentle application and removal. Two new specialty sized dressings help paediatric clinicians care for their younger patient population. Because keeping the IV in a paediatric patient as long as possible is very important, these dressings provide increased securement and wear time over standard transparent dressings and this helps to minimise dressing disruption and maximises wear time.

Specialised dressings for ICU

When paediatric patients are admitted to ICU, they will usually have central venous catheter (CVC), which is placed into the central venous system to deliver medications and fluids to very ill children. One complication of this type of procedure is infection, which can lead to extended lengths of stay in the hospital and even death. Tegaderm with CHG (chlorhexidine gluconate) IV Dressing is a specialised dressing designed to prevent catheter related blood stream infections (CRBSI).

"One of the problems facing the South African national health systems is funding and how much an intervention costs. One catheter related blood stream infection can cost up to R300,000. Implementing best practice and practical solutions costs money up front but if we can prevent these infections from happening, we can save money and lives at the same time. The challenge is getting funders to understand that investing in solutions up front will save money and lives in the long run," explains Jan-Marie Morgan, Scientific Affairs and Education Manger - MEA Region, Critical & Chronic Care Solutions Division, one of the specialist speakers who addressed delegates at the Summit.

Many best practices should be implemented in order to prevent complications and keep the peripheral intravenous in place for as long as possible. One of these is to use a securement device on all IV sites. A simple transparent film and some tape is not enough.

"A peripheral IV line should stay in place for 72-hours according to local policies, yet research shows that up to 70% of these lines fall out before the 72-hour mark. This is an unnecessary drain on resources, as it takes a nurse approximately 36 minutes to restart an IV as well as the added cost of the catheter, the dressing and antisepsis and so on. When an IV line fails and needs to be restarted, it results in a delay in the patient's treatment, length of stay in the hospital increases and overall costs rise as well. If a catheter is not secured appropriately, complications can lead to an increase morbidity and mortality for the patient. This is a major problem as over 90% of all admitted patients have an IV inserted during their hospital stay," says Morgan.

Anyone with a low immunity is prone to infections. This applies not only to the elderly, but also to young children, HIV positive, cancer and haemodialysis patients as well.

"The 'Best care...Always!' campaign supports South African health care organisations, as they implement specific, internationally recognised, evidenced-based interventions that enhance patient safety and constitute current best practice in hospital care. The group is committed to providing IV dressings and education that helps organisations to implement best practices in patient safety while decreasing the number of hospital acquired infections," concludes Morgan.

For more information, go to www.bestcare.org.za/home and Skin Wound Care.