Excerpt from "The Midline Intravenous Catheter: Meeting the Challenges of Patient Safety and Cost Control"

Robert Garcia, BS, MT, CIC

Novel technologies have greatly improved the quality of how intravenous therapy has been provided in the last two decades. Shielded needles resulting in the avoidance of sharps injuries,cannulas made of synthetic polymers toreduce phlebitis, and antiseptic solutions with extended residual activity,are all examples of the leaps made in addressing negative outcomes seen in a widely diverse patient population.Perhaps the next major step in advancingthe safety design of catheters is to incorporate a mechanism that would reducetouch contamination of the catheter itself. The first device to integrate a protective sheath over the catheter isthe FirmGrip (Flexicath Ltd.) midline device. A flexible silicone sleeve covering the length of the catheter allowsthe clinician to advance the device without any direct contact of its surface. The benefit of this innovation becomes more evident when consideration is made of situations involving difficult insertions which extend the opportunity for contamination of catheter surfaces.

Copyright 2009 by Virgo Publishing.
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