Drug Topics - November 19, 2007 - (Page H22)

22 HSE DRUG TOPICS NOVEMBER 19, 2007 Technology Infection rates, patient stays drop with new drug device Leah Perry about their infecHofospitals concerned deviceconsider the tion rates may want to use a new pain-relief that potentially offers a two-pronged benefit—the reduction of pain and infections at surgical sites. According to a new infection surveil- The ON-Q pain-relief lance study, use of the ON-Q PainBuster system reduces surgical-site infection with ON-Q SilverSoaker Antimicrobial rates by more than 50%. Catheter, developed by the I-Flow Corp., has been shown to reduce surgical-site infection rates by more than 50%, significantly shorten hospital stays, and reduce postsurgical complications when compared with traditional narcotic pain care. This indicates that the device may have the potential to save hospitals billions of dollars if used for postsurgical pain relief across multiple surgeries, according to the study’s authors. ON-Q is the only pain-relief pump to include an antimicrobial catheter and the first and only one to document an infection-reduction capability, according to the study. Results of the infection surveillance study were presented at the 47th Annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents & Chemotherapy (ICAAC) in Chicago recently. These new findings are far-reaching and significant for pharmacists, noted one of its authors and co-lead investigator, Alan Thorson, M.D., clinical associate professor of surgery and program director of colon and rectal surgery at Creighton University in Omaha, who added that some of the results were surprising even to him. “Who would have thought anything we did for pain had anything to do with infection? “In the discussions I’ve had with pharmacists regarding [the study], they say that what they see in the data is an opportunity to either initiate or expand multi-module strategies for preventing surgical-site infections. “The concern is that the more we use antibiotics, the greater the chance for developing resistance, so any time we can save antibiotics for specific utilization and avoid having to use them as a broad-spectrum treatment option, the better. Pharmacists can use these data to create a multidisciplinary approach to establish strategies that will minimize the development of surgical-site infections, better manage these types of infections when they do occur, and not diminish the broader utilization of antibiotics,” Thorson added. Thorson and his co-researchers hope that the results of their study will be a catalyst to help many hospitals reduce both their infection rates and their costs as well as aid them in pain management. THE AUTHOR is a writer based in the Atlanta area.

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Drug Topics - November 19, 2007 Contents Latebreakers Letters Leukemia Patients Now Have More Options First-in-Class HIV Drug Boon to Patients at End of Tether 150 Years of American Pharmacy Pharmacy Schools Confront New Pressures From Pariah to Patient ACCP Releases Position Paper on Ethical Interactions New Injectable Antibiotic Welcomed with Open Arms NCCN Updates Head and Neck Cancer Guide Improved Phosphate Binder Approved for Dialysis Patients Considering Combination Concern Ensuring Seamless Care Bill Would Create Center for Comparative Effectiveness Hospital Improves Patient Safety with Automatic Drug Distribution System Infection Rates, Patient Stays Drop with New Drug Device How R.Ph.s Helped Three Hospitals Win Quality and Safety Awards A Pharmacist and Dog in Tow are Alzheimer’s Patients’ Best Friends More PBMs Agreeing to Pricing Transparency New Insulins in the Management of Diabetes New Products Advertisers Index Classified VIEWPOINT: Reflections on Pharmacy School After 30 Years

Drug Topics - November 19, 2007

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