NICE has recommended the use of a device to hold catheters in place securely, which could reduce the risk of catheter related infections.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended the use of a device to hold catheters in place securely, which could reduce the risk of catheter related infections and potentially save the NHS millions of pounds.
Catheter related blood stream infections (CRBSIs) can have devastating medical consequences for patients as they have the potential to cause severe ill-health and prolonged hospital stays. Reducing length of stay in critical and high dependency care units, and reducing the cost of diagnosis and treatment of CRBSIs, bring obvious economic benefits to the NHS. Evidence suggests that catheter-related infections can prolong hospital stays by up to 20 days with associated costs of around £9,900.1
The Tegaderm CHG dressing is a sterile transparent semipermeable polyurethane adhesive dressing, with an integrated gel pad containing the antibacterial agent chlorhexidine gluconate. Studies have shown that CHG impregnated dressings can help to reduce the incidence of CRBSIs in critical care patients with intravascular catheters by around 60%, compared to standard dressings,2 thereby helping to increase patient safety and improve patients’ quality of life.
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