BLOOMINGTON, Ind.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With the launch of Cook Medical’s new Spectrum Turbo-Ject PICC, for the first time, the clinical benefits of antibiotic-impregnated catheters—a critical component in eliminating 250,000 potentially fatal catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs) in the U.S. annually—are now available for peripherally inserted central venous catheters (PICCs) that can also be used for contrast-enhanced CT scans.
The Spectrum Turbo-Ject PICC is the industry’s first antibiotic-impregnated PICC capable of accepting the contrast media injection rates required for CT scans. The ability to power-inject contrast media, combined with the Spectrum technology’s proven ability to prevent CRBSIs, means that patients receiving PICC lines will gain the highest possible protection from deadly CRBSIs, while clinicians will have access to the industry’s best flow rates.
“Cook’s new Spectrum Turbo-Ject PICC lines provide industry-leading technology to interventional radiologists, nurses and other health care professionals in the fight against costly, life-threatening hospital-acquired infections, and also provide industry-best flow rates for contrast media,” said Dan Sirota, global business leader of Cook Medical’s Interventional Radiology division. “This innovation further demonstrates Cook’s commitment to reducing infections by providing a unique Cook technology that is proven to improve patient outcomes.”
Demand for the new PICC is so high, he added, that the first units were shipped to customers even before Cook’s official introduction of the device to key customers at the Society of Interventional Radiology Meeting earlier this year in San Diego.
With the Spectrum Turbo-Ject PICC, clinicians can choose from multiple catheter configurations that offer an industry-best range of flow rates in order to meet patient needs, including:
* Maximum pressure limit settings of 325 psi * 5 French single and double lumen with a maximum flow rate of 7 and 5 mL/second, respectively * 4 French single lumen with a maximum flow rate of 4 mL/second * 50 cm and 60 cm length available
In the United States alone, more than 3 million central venous catheters (CVC) are inserted annually, with more than 250,000 patients developing a CRBSI associated with their CVC. Additionally, about 30,000 U.S. patients die each year from these systemic infections. Cost associated with treating these preventable infections average $34,508 to $56,000 each, making CRBSI prevention a major health care cost reduction issue. Numerous peer-reviewed publications, including a landmark study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, have demonstrated both the safety and superior efficacy of Spectrum technology in preventing CRBSIs. Spectrum technology has been shown to establish zones of inhibition greater than 15 mm for up to 63 days against the leading cause of CRBSIs.
The combination of the antibiotics minocycline and rifampin that are impregnated within the material of the Cook Spectrum catheters work synergistically to provide broad-spectrum protection against gram positive, gram negative and fungal organisms in both short- and long-term use. Unlike most systemic antibiotics, this unique combination has the ability to penetrate the biofilm that forms on all indwelling catheters. Additionally, research has conclusively shown that use of these catheters does not promote the growth of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria in patients receiving Spectrum catheters. In fact, the use of Spectrum technology has demonstrated reduced antibiotic-resistant strains in on single-center study.
On October 1, 2008, Medicare eliminated reimbursement to hospitals for treating CRBSIs and other hospital-acquired infections. Catheters impregnated with Spectrum technology are a scientifically proven tool hospitals and clinicians can use to eliminate preventable CRBSIs and avoid the risk of Medicare nonpayment.
The Cook Spectrum Turbo-Ject PICC will be complimented by the PICC Procedural Tray, designed to efficiently supply the essential components for a clinician placing a PICC, whether bedside or in an interventional radiology lab. The tray provides the vital components for maximal sterile barrier precautions, a significant part of patient safety and infection control.
The Cook Spectrum Turbo-Ject PICC has U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance and is available for immediate delivery in the United States.
About Cook Medical:
Cook Medical was one of the first companies to help popularize interventional medicine, pioneering many of the devices now commonly used worldwide to perform minimally invasive medical procedures. Today, the company integrates device design, biopharma, gene and cell therapy and biotech to enhance patient safety and improve clinical outcomes in the fields of aortic intervention; interventional cardiology; critical care medicine; gastroenterology; radiology, peripheral vascular, bone access and oncology; surgery and soft tissue repair; urology; and assisted reproductive technology, gynecology and high-risk obstetrics. Cook is a past winner of the prestigious Medical Device Manufacturer of the Year Award from Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry magazine. For more information, visit www.cookmedical.com.
Contact:
Cook Medical Marsha Dawes, 812-339-2235, ext. 2750 Public Relations Coordinator Marsha.Dawes@cookmedical.com or Racepoint Group, Inc. Cheri Keith, 781-487-4672 ckeith@racepointgroup.com
