Clinical Evidence
Association for Vascular Access Case Study Poster
Using Tamper-Evident Technology to Protect Patient Sobriety and Reduce Cost of Care:
PICC Guard White Paper
A peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) line is a device placed for long-term intravenous access. Highrisk patients with a history of intravenous drug use (IVDU) commonly have infections that require PICC lines for long-term antibiotic therapy. The most common problem arises when the patient has the opportunity to self administer illicit drugs or other substances either at home or in the hospital. The PICC Guard provides tamper evidence and tamper-resistance to address this problem.
CDC: Hospital Cost Savings
The CDC has established a guideline stating that if a patient is observed or suspected of receiving an injection into vascular access lines during their inpatient admission, they should be excluded from CLABSI surveillance. This exclusion can result in significant cost savings for hospitals, as they are not held responsible for the occurrence of a CLABSI in such cases.
Article: “The Case For Sending Drug Users Home From The Hospital With Open IV Lines”
“When patients need weeks or months of IV antibiotic treatment, but otherwise don't need to be hospitalized, the standard protocol is to discharge them with a PICC line, and allow them to finish the medication at home. It saves money and is much more convenient for the patients.
But this arrangement is almost never offered to patients who have a history of addiction…”
Article: “Intravenous Drug Abuse by Patients Inside the Hospital: A Cause for Sustained Bacteremia”
“These individuals often go to great extents to procure illegal contraband inside the hospital through third party visitors. This often leads to variation in their clinical condition and misleading false diagnosis by the physicians.”
Article: “Risk of New Bloodstream Infections and Mortality Among People Who Inject Drugs With Infective Endocarditis”
People who inject drugs (PWID) who are being treated for infective endocarditis remain at risk of new bloodstream infections (BSIs) due to ongoing intravenous drug use (IVDU).
Article: “Addicted Patients Inject, Infect Their Own IV Lines”
“You do not know you have an issue until it is an issue”
Journal: “Risk of New Bloodstream Infections and Mortality Among People Who Inject Drugs With Infective Endocarditis”
Tan, et al. found that 46% of IV drug-addicted patients continued illicit drug use while hospitalized.
Journal: “Safe and successful treatment of intravenous drug users with a peripherally inserted central catheter in an outpatient parenteral antibiotic treatment service”
The enrolment of intravenous drug users (IVDUs) into an outpatient parenteral antibiotic treatment (OPAT) service using a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) is controversial and often avoided.
Journal: “With a PICC line, you never miss”: The role of peripherally inserted central catheters in hospital care for people living with HIV/HCV who use drugs
People who use drugs (PWUD), and especially those who inject drugs, are at increased risk of acquiring bloodborne infections (e.g., HIV and HCV), experiencing drug-related harms (e.g., abscesses and overdose), and being hospitalized and requiring inpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy delivered through a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC).
Journal: “Can I Safely Discharge a Patient with a Substance Use Disorder Home with a Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter?”
Determining where a patient goes after hospitalization can be a challenge due to the need for prolonged parenteral antibiotics, prompting the question: Can I safely discharge a patient with a substance use disorder home with a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC)? In this article, the authors provide a review of existing evidence related to PICC utilization among people who use drugs in order to help answer this increasingly common clinical question..
Opioid Data Analysis
Heroin Overdose Data. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.cdc.gov/) National enter for Injury Prevention and Control (http://www.cdc.gov/injury) Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention