ONS Connect - August 2008 - (Page 26)

ICU MEDICAL A History of Solving Problems You may know ICU Medical as a manufacturer and provider of medical devices speciﬁcally designed to ensure safe handling of agents through a variety of systems, but do you know why ICU Medical was founded? Dr. George Lopez, founder and still head of ICU Medical, created the company in 1984. He was distraught at losing a patient because the patient’s IV line had been accidentally disconnected. He resolved to ﬁnd a way to prevent accidental disconnects, and the result was the ﬁrst ICU Medical product, now known as the Click Lock, that provided a locking system for IVs. The system offered an additional beneﬁt: Because it was comprised of a protected needle, it also prevented accidental needle sticks to the nurses handling the materials. serious concerns for the healthcare provider or anyone who must live and work near these substances. The Oncology Nursing Society has joined the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists in identifying the problem and offering guidelines for the safe handling of these substances. ICU Medical’s Oncology Preparation and Delivery Systems meet these guidelines as personal protective equipment. As an oncology nurse, you may be familiar with ICU Medical’s oncology products, designed for your protection and your patients’ protection. The passive safety designs of all the products eliminate unsafe disconnect points and enforce the use of the safety products. Clinicians cannot remove or override the safety mechanism. The concepts are easy to use and intuitive and work like any other IV line, therefore minimizing the educational burden. ICU products are speciﬁcally designed to work within established protocols and not disrupt the workﬂow of busy nurses’ days. clinical use. The SPIROS™ Connector is a new device that is closed and seals the ﬂuid container. When attached to any female luer or valve, the ﬂuid path is opened and allows for administration or aspiration of ﬂuid. Dr. Lopez and ICU Medical are dedicated to protecting oncology nurses through providing safety systems that directly address their needs. ICU Medical offers the only system that ensures 100% compliance with NIOSH guidelines through the entire spectrum of hazardous drug delivery. • Preparation: eliminates needles and captures aerosol and vapor • Transportation: prevents leaks and spills • Administration: protects against leaks and spills during tubing change out and prevents accidental disconnection; protects nurses, patients, and family members • Disposal: prevents leaks and drug vapor escape in the treatment area and disposal process ICU Medical’s devotion to patient and healthcare worker safety led to the development of technology that guarantees elimination of needle sticks, and its closed systems protect against aspiration or spills of noxious agents. Dr. Lopez has turned the tragedy of the death of a patient into the provision of protection for patients and healthcare providers. As a result, ICU Medical products offer superior protection and are in widespread use across the world. Dr. Lopez and his ﬁrst product the Click Lock For almost 25 years, Dr. Lopez has guided the development of even more products for the protection of both patients and healthcare providers. In 1992, the CLAVE® was introduced as the ﬁrst one-piece, closed, NeedleFree Connector, and it is now the leading connector sold worldwide. Its unique design ensures compliance with needle-free policies because of its passive technology that cannot accept a needle. The CLAVE is also a microbiologically closed system, which helps protect a patient’s catheter from contamination that can otherwise lead to bloodstream infections. The short and long-term effects from exposure to hazardous drugs are Dr. Lopez has turned the tragedy of the death of a patient into the provision of protections for patients and healthcare providers. For example, the GENIE™ Vial Access Device is a microbiologically and mechanically closed device that will prevent the escape of ﬂuids and aerosols or the ingress of micro-organisms during 26 ONS CONNECT August 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of ONS Connect - August 2008

ONS Connect - August 2008 Contents Editor's Note Just In Safe Handling of Chemotherapy A Year in the Life—Month Eight Put Evidence Into Practice to Manage Dyspnea Web Connect Capitol Connection Notice Nursing Now Caregiver Care KRAS Status Predicts Response to Cetuximab for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Calendar of Events Working for You Staying on Top

ONS Connect - August 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.