Baxter Healthcare Corporation announced that its V-Link Luer-activated device (LAD) with VitalShield protective coating, the first needle less intravenous (IV) connector to contain an antimicrobial coating, is now available for hospitals in the United States and Canada.
V-Link with VitalShield has been shown to kill on average 99.9 per cent or more of specific common pathogens (infection-causing agents) known to cause catheter-related bloodstream infections. Pathogens can contaminate medical devices used to deliver IV fluids and medication to patients. The new antimicrobial coating helps to prevent contamination and growth of specific common pathogens such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.
Baxter completed a pilot launch of V-Link with VitalShield with a select group of leading teaching institutions and hospitals in the US and Canada and is now making the product available more broadly to customers throughout those regions. Baxter will expand to other global markets, including Europe and Australia, later this year.
"Improving patient safety is our number one goal, and this new technology can be used throughout hospitals to help prevent microbial contamination of the device and inhibit specific infection-causing agents from entering the bloodstream," said Camille Farhat, general manager of Global Infusion Systems, part of Baxter's Medication Delivery business . "The V-Link device is the newest addition to our broad line of needle less IV access products and furthers Baxter's mission to help healthcare providers create a safer environment for patients".
As part of Baxter's ongoing commitment to address the growing issue of healthcare-acquired infections, the company sponsored an educational symposium during this week's 18th annual Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) meeting that featured a panel of leading experts in the field of infectious diseases.
Many hospitalized patients need a steady supply of medications or fluids delivered into their bloodstream. Typically, an IV catheter is placed in a patient's vein to allow direct access to the bloodstream. In the process of injecting medications or fluids into a sterile line, surface or other environmental contaminants may be introduced. V-Link with VitalShield, a needle less IV connector used with the catheter or IV tubing, helps to prevent contamination and growth of specific pathogens within the device at the point of entry to the patient's bloodstream. Reduction in colonization or microbial growth on the device has not yet been studied to substantiate a reduction in bloodstream infections.