Novel Disinfecting Tool Prevents Contamination of IV Tubing

A simple single use device significantly reduces the bacterial contamination associated with intravenous (IV) catheter related blood stream infections (CRBSIs).

The DualCap disinfecting tool is composed of two caps containing isopropyl alcohol, nested together. One cap is intended for the needleless injection site (NIS), and the other is intended for the male luer at the end of the IV tubing. Designed by infusion nurses, the DualCap reduces the human variability associated with IV care, and provides healthcare facilities with an easy to use, cost-effective technology that can help in the fight against CRBSIs. The DualCap is a product of Catheter Connections (Salt Lake City, UT, USA) expected to be commercially available in the fall of 2010, with a planned series of additional products anticipated to follow.


"We believe that the ability to safely disinfect and protect exposed IV connectors is significant for the medical community,” said Vicki Farrar, CEO of Catheter Connections. "Now there is a cost effective and easy to use technology that gives healthcare facilities a powerful tool in the fight against these life-threatening infections.”

Intravascular catheters are indispensable in modern-day medicine, particularly in intensive care units (ICUs), and peripheral venous catheters are the devices most frequently used for vascular access. Although such catheters provide necessary vascular access, their use puts patients at risk for local and systemic infectious complications, including local site infection, CRBSI, septic thrombophlebitis, endocarditis, and other metastatic infections. The incidence of CRBSI varies considerably by type of catheter, frequency of catheter manipulation, and patient-related factors. In addition, although the incidence of local or bloodstream infections (BSIs) associated with peripheral venous catheters is usually low, serious infectious complications produce considerable annual morbidity because of the frequency with which such catheters are used.

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