Consorta, Inc. Chooses Passive Design of B. Braun Introcan Safety IV Catheter to Help Members Reduce Needlesticks

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- B. Braun Medical Inc. announces that it has signed a purchasing contract with Consorta, Inc., a leading group purchasing and resource management company, for the B. Braun Introcan Safety IV Catheter, designed to minimize accidental needlestick injuries without requiring user activation. The Introcan Safety IV Catheter will now be on Consorta's existing safety IV catheter multi-source contract.

"The agreement with B. Braun offers our members the ability to obtain the Introcan Safety IV Catheter, which will help them to meet important safety requirements while assuring competitive pricing," said Patricia Hammell, manager for medical surgical contracting at Consorta."

In its recent Supplementary Guidance on Premarket Notifications for Medical Devices with Sharps Injury Prevention Features, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) encourages the development of passive design sharps injury prevention devices (i.e., those that require no activation by the user) including those which incorporate a safety feature as an integral part of the device that cannot be deactivated and remains protective through disposal.

Unlike active design IV catheters, which require the user to manually activate the safety mechanism, the passive Introcan Safety IV Catheter features a safety mechanism that deploys automatically during the normal use of the device. Passive safety features are identified in the FDA Supplemental Guidance as desired characteristics of sharps injury prevention devices. During a recent study conducted at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, researchers found no accidental stylet needlestick injuries (injury rate of 0 per 87,000 uses) with the use of the passive-design B. Braun Introcan Safety IV Catheter.

"We are excited that Consorta has chosen the passive design of our Introcan Safety IV Catheter for its members," said Caroll H. Neubauer, chairman and CEO of B. Braun Medical Inc. "We believe not all safety devices are created equal and that passive design devices will help reduce sharps injuries more than active designs. In one study of active design IV safety catheters, 61 percent of needlestick injuries were the result of improper activation or non-activation of the safety mechanism, and a sharps audit of disposed needles showed only 79 percent of safety devices had been activated. Conversely, the Mount Sinai School of Medicine study, conducted using the passive design of the Introcan Safety IV Catheter, reported there were no IV stylet needlestick injuries. The difference is remarkable."

With more than 29,000 employees worldwide, B. Braun is a full line supplier of innovative healthcare products and programs designed to improve both patient and clinician safety. Through its People, Products, and Programs, "Working Together for Excellence in Safety" initiative, B. Braun promotes best practices and products for continuous improvement of safety.

Source: B. Braun Medical Inc.

References:

1 Mendelson M.H., Chen L., Solomon R., et al. Study of Introcan Safety IV Catheter for the Prevention of Percutaneous Injuries in Healthcare Workers. Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) Annual Meeting, 2003.

2 Mendelson M.H., Chen L., Solomon R., et al. Evaluation of a Safety IV Catheter. Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) Annual Meeting, 1999.