"Patient safety concerns are causing many facilities to move toward a full sterile insertion, but the cost increase is significant," said Dr. Moureau. "This dressing allows hospitals to make the procedure more cost-effective without sacrificing proper aseptic technique."

Dr. Moureau said there is agreement among clinicians that using ultrasound increases contamination risk due to the extended procedure time and presence of the probe and gel in the sterile insertion site. But she noted there is still a lot of inconsistency in methods for ensuring aseptic technique to protect patients.


The design of the UltraDrape is vastly different to standard probe covers and lends itself to an efficient and speedy 1-2-3 standardized procedure. With 4 layers of material (9 mils thick) between the probe and the site, the dressing prevents accidental penetration or contamination of insertion needles. Use of the UltraDrape ensures an aseptic procedure by maintaining sterility at the insertion site.

A previous national survey of more than 1,200 nurses on current UGPIV practices revealed this tremendous amount of variability in how the insertions are performed. While 92 percent of vascular access nurses in the survey identified aseptic technique as "very important," only 82 percent reported actually using it. In addition, only 63 percent said they use a probe cover during UGPIV procedures.

Nearly 60 percent of patients who require IV therapy are considered to have difficult vascular access (DiVA), which necessitates the use of ultrasound guidance in order to successfully achieve peripheral access. It is estimated that there are 12 million UGPIV insertions performed annually in North America.

The 33rd annual AVA scientific meeting will take place October 4-7, 2019, in Las Vegas. For more information on the study, AVA attendees can visit PICC Excellence at Booth #223.


About Dr. Nancy Moureau and PICC Excellence
Nancy Moureau, RN, PhD, CRNI, CPUI, VA-BC, is the owner and president of PICC Excellence, a vascular access education and training service for clinicians. She is a member of the Alliance for Vascular Access Teaching and Research Group (AVATAR) based in Australia. Recognized as an international expert in vascular access education and training, she is widely published in the medical literature, including recent guidelines that defined appropriate indications for insertion, maintenance, and care of PICCs. PICC Excellence provides effective, easy-to-understand in-person and web-based education and training for clinicians worldwide.


SOURCE PICC Excellence

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