New Clinical Study Shows ICU Medical Infusion Systems Are Associated with a Reduction in Both Hazardous Drug Exposure and Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., Sept. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- ICU Medical, Inc. ICUI today announced that a new study presented this week at the 38^th Annual Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses (APHON) Conference in Portland, OR showed that the company's ChemoClave^® closed system transfer device (CSTD) contributed to a significant reduction in chemotherapy spills and exposures, while a switch to ICU Medical's MicroClave^® Clear neutral displacement connector from the MaxPlus^® positive pressure connector (CareFusion Corporation, San Diego, CA) contributed to a reduction in central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI).

In the study titled Promoting Safety by Standardizing Chemotherapy Administration Practices, a research team from Medical City and Medical City Children's Hospital in Dallas, TX reported on an initiative "to reduce the risk of exposure to antineoplastic agents and promote workplace safety" that was begun following "an increase in chemotherapy exposures and near misses due to leaking from the injection caps and IV tubing." Based on a review of available closed systems, the interdisciplinary team chose to trial the ICU Medical ChemoClave system and began converting to the system in June 2013.

To test the ChemoClave system's ability to limit chemotherapy spills and exposures, clinicians in the pediatric oncology unit recorded the number of times they entered a patient's line over a 24-hour period and documented any leaks at the connection site both before and after ChemoClave implementation. Before implementation of the ChemoClave system, clinicians recorded a total of 23 potential exposures out of the 24 times a patient's line was entered. Following implementation, use of the ChemoClave system was associated with 0 potential exposures out of the 47 times a patient's line was entered in a 24-hour period.

"We found that the ChemoClave secondary sets with bonded Spinning Spiros^® ensured there were no accidental disconnects," researchers concluded, adding that "the system was found to be easy to use across all nursing units and the pharmacy," and they "were able to standardize chemotherapy line set-up practices across all units, which helped workflow and efficiency for nursing, the pharmacy, and materials management departments."

In conjunction with the conversion to the ChemoClave system for the safe administration of chemotherapy drugs, Medical City and Medical City Children's Hospital converted to the ICU Medical MicroClave Clear neutral displacement connector, which was associated with a reduction in CLABSIs in the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/Surgical Unit.

Contact: Tom McCall 
Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer
949-366-4368
tmccall@icumed.com

About ICU Medical, Inc.: ICU Medical, Inc. develops, manufactures and sells innovative medical devices used in vascular therapy, oncology and critical care applications. ICU Medical's products improve patient outcomes by helping prevent bloodstream infections and protecting healthcare workers from exposure to infectious diseases or hazardous drugs. The company's complete product line includes custom IV systems, closed delivery systems for hazardous drugs, needlefree IV connectors, catheters and cardiac monitoring systems. ICU Medical is headquartered in San Clemente, California. More information about ICU Medical, Inc. can be found at www.icumed.com.

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SOURCE ICU Medical, Inc.