CareFusion Launches Respiratory Airway Adapter to Improve Patient Safety and Reduce Hospital Costs

CareFusion announces the launch of Verso 90 adapter, a component that enables uninterrupted access to a ventilated patient's airway without having to disconnect the patient from the ventilator. Disconnecting a patient from the ventilator circuit can lead to life-threatening lung infections and degradation of lung function.

 

The new Verso 90 adapter is part of the AirLife Closed-Suction System which is different from traditional closed-suction catheters because of its modularity. With this system, a clinician can change catheters or perform various airway access procedures through a single port without having to disconnect the patient from the ventilator. This leads to increased patient safety because disconnecting a patient from the ventilator circuit can lead to lung derecruitment, which in some patients, may result in atelectasis or hypoxemia.

 

In addition, keeping a closed system when changing catheters or performing bronchoscopies, reduces the risk of cross contamination which can lead to ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). The incident of VAP is 22.8 percent in patients receiving mechanical ventilation, with a cost of $28,508 per patient and increases the length of stay in the hospital by an average of 12.2 days.

 

Clinicians also have the ability to replace the closed-suction catheter independent of the adapter, which may only need to be replaced when the ventilator circuit is changed. This means that by using the CareFusion system, clinicians only need to replace half the system, which could lead to a cost-savings benefit for the hospital.

 

"The addition of the Verso 90 adapter into our closed suction portfolio helps to build our leading line of respiratory consumable products that directly ties with our mission to help improve health care safety and costs," says Tony Lopez, senior vice president and general manager of respiratory at CareFusion.

 

The Verso 90 adapter is currently available in the United States, with plans to launch the product in Europe in the next few months.

 

CareFusion is featuring the new Verso 90 adapter, along with other respiratory solutions, at the 56th American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) International Respiratory Congress Dec. 6-9 in Las Vegas.