Can Labeling Reduce the Risk of Misconnections?

Patients receiving multiple, concurrent intravenous (IV) infusions often face a serious risk—the potential for misconnected tubing lines and dosing error. “Nurses check lines to make sure there are no mix-ups, unintended disconnections, or wrong doses. The consequences can be severe,” explained Elmer Vera, a registered nurse working in critical care for 18 years. “As the treatments for ailments become more advanced, the danger associated with multiple IV infusions continue to take lives right before the very eyes of the people who are responsible for their care, the nurses. Critically ill patients are particularly vulnerable because they receive multiple interventions with potent agents via numerous IV access routes. Errors are more frequent and fatal in neonatal and pediatric ICUs. Practices  are particularly  prone to errors, a glaring gap in the current standards.”
And no matter how careful nurses are, the risks still exist. “Your fingers can play tricks on you when you trace the line,” he added.
Vera told MD+DI that he noticed the challenges involved in ensuring proper connections when he began working as a nurse. So he decided he’d devise a better solution for “tracing the line.”
The risks had also hit home for Vera. His son had been diagnosed with Stage 4 No...

Source: MDDI - January 25, 2020 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Daphne Allen Tags: Labeling Source Type: news