Since the passage of the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act in 2000 and the subsequent revision of the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen Standard, all health care facilities are required to use safer medical devices. National Insititue for Occupational Safety and Hazard (NIOSH) recommends that health care facilities use safer medical devices to protect workers from needlestick and other sharps injuries. For more information on the the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act. http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/bloodbornepathogens/solutions.html
This Act defines important safety terms such as:
Needleless systems - is defined as a device that does not use needles for::
· The collection of body fluids or withdrawal of body fluids after initial venous or arterial access is established;
· The administration of medication or fluids; or
· Any other procedure involving the potential for occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens due to percutaneous injuries from contaminated sharps.
Use needleless systems for any of the following:
• Withdrawal of body fluids after initial venous or arterial access is established
• Administration of medication or fluids
• Any procedure involving the potential for an exposure incident (manipulation of human or primate blood, blood products, tissues, or cell lines using a syringe, or any injection of these materials into animals, etc.)
HR Medical distributes the following Needleless Connectors here's a discription of these systems.
The Clave connector, distributed by HR Medical. Inc. and manufactured by ICU Medical, has been marketed since 1992. The Clave was the first one piece, closed, Needle free connector introduced and currently the number one connector sold world wide. Its is the unique design of the Clave that ensures compliance with Needle Free polices because of it's passive and undefeatable technology, which cannot accept a needle. The Clave requires no additional components or adapters to access and requires no end cap for sterility.
Flowrate 185ml/min - 0.06 deadspace -75psig backpressure - 600 functional activations - Latex Free
The Clave family is comprised of the following:
CLAVE Connector - CLAVE extension sets - CLAVE administration sets,
MicroCLAVE Connector - specifically designed for children and geriatric patients. Built on the landmark technology of the original Clave, the new Microclave is once again a product born from the requests of clinicians and patients alike. Having 32% less weight and a low profile design.
Clinicians asked for a smaller, more comfortable profile and less overall weight so that when placed for example on a triple lumen CVC, the three Claves are not awkward or heavy. These improvements were requested of course, without compromising the current integrity, compatibility and function of the original Clave.
Bravo 24 Connector specifically designed for 24 hour use only. The same tehnology as the Clave without the endurance of the Clave.
CLC2000 Connector is a revolutionary catheter connector designed to provide a constant velocity of fluid; positive displacement, which exits the catheter upon disconnection of a luer. It is the patented fluid displacement profile, which allows ICU Medical to GUARANTEE the effectiveness of the CLC2000 to help maintain the patency of vascular access devices. It is also the exclusive technology of the CLC2000 to permit the use of saline flush for any vascular or arterial access device, including central venous access.
Negative displacement is the volume of fluid that backflows into the catheter lumen when an infusion device is removed from an injection port. The deadspace of the injection port, in relation to the volume of the infusion device, is what makes up the negative displacement. The larger the injection port deadspace, the larger the negitve displacement. The smaller the catheter lumen, teh further the displacement. For examlpe, an injection port with 5cc negative displacement equals about 6cc of fluid backflow in a 3 French catheter.
Positive displacement is the opposite of negitive displacement. Positive displacement is the volume of IV solution that exits the catheter lumen when an infusion device is removed from the injection port. The CLC2000 is the only device which is guaranteed to eliminate any retrograde flow of blood into the lumen.
