Catheter infections, need for blood-thinners reduced at Hamilton hospital
Published March 22, 2023 at 3:00 pm
Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) say its Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre saw a 60 per cent reduction in venous catheter infections during a six-month pilot in which a new solution was used.
A venous catheter provides medication to a patient through a tube inserted into the bloodstream, typically in the chest or upper arm. It is usually the most effective and commonly used option with cancer patients, but it does require careful monitoring for infections and blockages.
“We need to use these catheters to deliver medication; however, it’s not without risks,” says Ari Collerman, chief of interprofessional practice at HHS. “We of course, want to do everything we can to reduce those risks, which is why it’s important to test and implement new and innovative products designed for this purpose.”
HHS says by using the new KiteLock liquid solution, health-care professionals can more effectively clean the bacteria from patients’ venous catheters; reducing the number of infections and the frequency of replacing venous catheters. It also virtually eliminates the need for blood-thinning medications while reducing health-care costs.
“In our current health-care landscape, it’s more important than ever to find new and innovative ways to benefit our patients,” says Ted Scott, chief innovation officer at HHS.
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Additionally, 88 per cent of patients surveyed had a positive or neutral outlook on the solution.
“As a large hospital network, implementing the use of a new product is a big undertaking. We first need to not only ensure it has benefits to our patients but can be effectively integrated into our hospital and efficiently used by our staff,” added Scott.
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