Access Scientific Announces Guaranteed Reduction in Infections and Central-Line Usage

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Access Scientific, LLC, manufacturer of POWERWAND™ midline and extended dwell catheters, is now providing hospitals a guarantee that they will be able to reduce their central-line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs). The company also guarantees that hospitals will be able to reduce their use of one of the primary contributors to CLABSI — peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) — by a mimimum of 25%.

The guarantee aligns with the national initiative to reduce hospital acquired conditions (HACs) and stop putting patients through unnecessary risk. In the U.S., approximately 48 percent of ICU patients have indwelling central venous catheters, accounting for 15 million central line days per year¹. Assuming an average CLABSI rate of 5.3 per 1000 catheter-days, as many as 79,500 CLABSIs are experienced each year in ICUs¹.

CLABSI are an acute problem within healthcare, and Access Scientific guarantees it can help make a difference. At an average cost of $48,108 per infection², this non-reimbursable HAC results in over $3 billion in related costs per year to the American healthcare system. Even more troubling, because CLABSIs have the highest mortality rate of any HAC at 18%¹, as many as 14,000 U.S. patients die annually from CLABSI.

POWERWAND post-market surveillance demonstrates a reduction of CLABSIs by at least 10% when implemented as a part of an evidence-based, vascular-access-device patient program. Expanding these results nationally, the financial and clinical impact would be momentous, resulting in over 1,400 lives saved and $382.5 million in annual cost savings.

For patient stays longer than three days, the POWERWAND catheter is supported by overwhelming clinical evidence demonstrating a high completion of IV therapy. This performance allows hospitals to confidently utilize the POWERWAND as a solution for patients who previously would have been subjected to receiving a PICC.

When implementing an evidence-based VAD patient algorithm, hospitals have shown the ability to substantially reduce their PICC usage with the POWERWAND. This reduction in the overall use of central catheters has a direct impact on the total number of CLABSIs. Tables 1 and 2 demonstrate the proven outcomes associated with the POWERWAND through fewer CLABSIs and reduced overall PICC usage.

The above outcomes result in significant savings both in purchasing ($90 per POWERWAND vs cost of a PICC³) and clinical costs ($48,108 per CLABSI¹).

As further incentive to healthcare providers, Access Scientific will provide meaningful compensation in the event a hospital fails to reach their targets^‡. 

This unique guarantee is based on the superior performance of the POWERWAND. Unlike other devices in its class, the POWERWAND is supported by nine peer reviewed publications and nine scientific posters. These post-market studies have documented reduced overall CLABSIs and significant cost savings^‡ when using the POWERWAND, a device that has recorded over 36,000 catheter-days with zero bloodstream infections. These results are the backbone of the risk share guarantee. They also underpin Access Scientific's confidence to be a valuable partner for healthcare providers that are looking to improve overall patient outcomes and reduce costs. The risk share guarantee was designed to support value based decisions and truly make a difference. 

About Access Scientific, LLC
Access Scientific, LLC, based in San Diego, Calif., is an evidence-based, infection prevention company offering innovative vascular access devices designed to reduce the need for and risk of vascular device-related complications, including bloodstream infections. See www.accessscientific.com for full product offering and clinical studies.

1.  Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: https://www.ahrq.gov/topics/central-line-associated-bloodstream-infections-clabsi.html 

2.  Estimating the Additional Hospital Inpatient Cost and Mortality Associated With Selected Hospital-Acquired Conditions. Content last reviewed November 2017. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. https://www.ahrq.gov/hai/pfp/haccost2017-results.html

3.  Caparas JV, Hung HS.  Vancomycin Administration Through a Novel Midline Catheter: Summary of a 5-Year, 1086-Patient Experience in an Urban Community Hospital.  J Vasc Access 2017;22(1):38-41.

† Publications and presentations available upon request

‡ Terms and agreement available upon request

Contact: Liz Dowling, (760) 942-2544
Dowling & Dennis Public Relations
E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Access Scientific, LLC