Study Finds That Bard StatLock IV Catheter Stabilization Device Significantly Reduces Complication and Restart Rates

MURRAY HILL, N.J. -- C.R. Bard, Inc. announces publication of a prospective, observational study which compares clinical and economic outcomes between the use of the Bard® StatLock® catheter stabilization device and the use of tape to safely stabilize peripheral I.V. catheters. The StatLock device is marketed by Bard Medical Division located in Covington, Ga.

The study, authored by Gregory Schears, MD, an anesthesiologist and pediatric intensivist based in Rochester, Minn., was part of the clinical evidence considered by the Infusion Nurses Society (INS), publishers of the Journal of Infusion Nursing, prior to the Society issuing its new national Infusion Nursing Standards of Practice* recommending that whenever possible, using a manufactured catheter stabilization devices is preferred. The study was published in the July/August issue of the Journal of Infusion Nursing and encompassed 10,164 patients in product trials conducted in 83 different hospitals.

Compared to the habit-based method of using tape to stabilize IV catheters, the Schears study concluded that the StatLock device showed statistical significance in:

-- reducing the rate of phlebitis complications by 80 percent

-- lowering the rate of overall complications related to the patients IV therapy by 67 percent

-- reducing unscheduled restarts by 76 percent

The study also suggests meaningful potential cost savings from using the device. In one hospital, for example, the studys cost-benefit analysis revealed that the use of the StatLock device yielded an overall annual savings of $277,085 from materials, nursing time and treatment of avoidable complications.

In analyzing the study data, Schears noted the consistency of the data from hospital to hospital. This is certainly the largest study of its kind, he noted, and it supports the idea that a catheter stabilization device can be beneficial for patients who need peripheral IVs and for the hospitals that use the device.

* While INS does not endorse or recommend specific products, as of today, the StatLock device is the only evidence-based catheter stabilization device that meets the new national standards.

Source: C. R. Bard, Inc.