Introduction of a "safety" intravenous catheter for use in an emergency department: a pediatric hospital's experience.

Abstract

Little concern was given to the frequency of needlestick injuries in the workplace before the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic, despite the risk of acquiring more than 20 different infectious diseases from blood or body fluid-contaminated needlestick injuries. Reports of occupational human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission after accidental needlestick injuries' have not only heightened healthcare worker awareness of this occupational hazard, but also galvanized industry to create safety devices designed to reduce this risk.We recently introduced a “safety” intravenous catheter for use in our emergency department at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The catheter we chose is, to our knowledge, the only one readily available on the US market. This catheter is the Protectiv™ IV Catheter Safety System, marketed by Critikon, Inc., Tampa, Florida. The catheter's safety mechanism is an external plastic sheath that, as the user advances the catheter off the introducer needle, slides over the contaminated needle and locks it safely inside. The sheath acts as a needle cap, and the user's hands remain behind the introducer needle during all stages of operation. We prospectively evaluated our registered nurses’ acceptance and proficiency with this “safety” catheter.