Health Robotics' i.v.STATION Certified as the Only Robot to Comply with Security Guidelines for Controlled Substances

BOZEN, SUD-TIROL, Italy, May 10, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Health Robotics today announced i.v.STATION's certification achieving compliance with a host of global security guidelines for controlled substances, including tamper-evident syringe caps, biometric identification, restricting nursing access only to ready-to-administer IVs, single-dose storage and retrieval, etc.

"In addition to being the only company in the world proven to use Robotics to manufacture chemotherapy, monoclonal antibody therapy and gene therapy ready-to-administer patient doses, we once again lead the market, this time within the controlled substances drug class. I designed i.v.STATION to automatically cap syringes with a B. Braun TEC1000 tamper-evident cap, enhancing medication safety while reducing waste. Whereas this is arguably a desirable feature for all medications, it is mandatory for controlled substances in almost every country in the world. With i.v.STATION's unique security features, unused syringes can be safely returned to the pharmacy and re-dispensed. i.v.STATION fills a syringe and secures it with a luer-lock twist cap, ensuring the integrity of the contents. The cap unlocks, just prior to syringe use, by pulling the clear protective barrier off and removing the red syringe cap. Other distinct advantages of i.v.STATION's design over its competitors is the fact that it is the only robot to: a) utilize biometric identification (facial recognition) as opposed to other robots' use of simple ID/password combinations; and b) store each controlled substance drug vial and each ready-to-administer syringe on its unique slot for secure retrieval instead of outputting all doses to an open and unsecured bucket mixing multiple IV doses of controlled substances with multiple IV doses of other medications" stated Gaspar DeViedma, Health Robotics' Executive V.P.

Diversion of controlled substances is recognized as a critical problem in the United States. Healthcare professionals have easy access to controlled substances, and according to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, approximately 15% of healthcare professionals struggle with drug dependence. Drug diversion at hospitals can occur with PRNs [when part or none of the medication is given to the patient exactly on schedule during the shift]. A nurse who worked at the V.A Medical Center in Bedford, Somerville Hospital, and Metro West Medical Center-Framingham was sentenced because she stole numerous controlled substances from these hospitals. A few years ago, an emergency room nurse at Champlain Valley Physician's Hospital, N.Y., stole a number of controlled substances, including morphine and methadone, from the hospital's pharmacy department and the ER's locked narcotics cabinet. Additionally, removing injectable controlled substances from their container and replacing them with saline is another form of drug diversion. A nurse at Morehead Memorial Hospital, N.C., pleaded guilty to stealing morphine, secretly swapping the clear liquid drug with water. Each time, the caps were cut off syringes filled with meperidine and the drug was drained out. Later, the nurse refilled the syringes with saline solution and glued the simple syringe caps back on. Common diversion methods have been amply documented in scientific literature[1].

"i.v.STATION's combined and unique security features add significant competitive advantages over its two competitors as both Baxa's IntelliFill and IHS' RIVA robots utilize a plain Kendall syringe cap which is easily subject to tampering, accidental spillages, and other problems. This means not only patient safety advantages but also exponentially increasing our lead on ROI as i.v.STATION can handle a lot more than antibiotics, heparin and insulin, the only drug classes that our competitors have been proven to support. I look forward to seeing the results that our global partners, especially Health Robotics Canada and the recently announced McKesson exclusive partnership [ http://www.pr-inside.com/mckesson-expands-i-v-automation-portfolio-r1873650.h tm] achieve in the North American market, as a direct result of this new breakthrough and industry-first achievement for Health Robotics," stated Werner Rainer, Health Robotics' CEO.

About Health Robotics:

Health Robotics is the undisputed global leading supplier of life-critical intra-venous medication robots, providing healthcare facilities in 5 continents with robotics technology and software automation solutions deployed utilizing virtual high-availability technology. Its world-leading solutions CytoCare(TM) [hazardous IVs], i.v.STATION(TM) [non-hazardous IVs], i.v.SOFT(TM) [workflow engine for manual compounding, powered by MEDarchiver], and TPNstation(TM) [totally-automated parenteral nutrition] have and will greatly contribute to ease hospitals' growing pressures to improve patient safety, increase throughput and contain costs. Through the effective and efficient production of sterile, accurate, tamper-evident and ready-to-administer IVs, Health Robotics' solutions help hospitals eliminate life-threatening drug-exchange errors, decrease other therapy oversights and sterility risks, work more efficiently, reduce waste and controlled substances' diversion, and diminish the gap between rising patient volume/acuity and scarce nursing and pharmacy staff. For more information, please visit http://www.health-robotics.com

    For additional information, please contact:

    Health Robotics S.r.l.
    Claudia Flaim
    Marketing Coordinator
    Italy: +39 0471.200.372
    [email protected]

[1]

http://www.pppmag.com/pp-p-november-2009/cover-story-preventing-controlled-su

bstances-diversion

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SOURCE Health Robotics