Nebraska Methodist Hospital Study: Only EQUASHIELD® Prevents Syringe Plunger Contamination

ANAHEIM, California, December 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Equashield (http://www.equashield.com), a leading provider of Closed System Transfer Devices (CSTDs) for hazardous drugs, today announced that a resident poster with results from a comparative study was presented at this year's American Society for Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear Conference. According to the study, Equashield's Closed System Transfer Device (EQUASHIELD^®) is unique in its ability to prevent contamination of syringe plungers by hazardous drugs.

The independent study at Nebraska Methodist Hospital's Department of Pharmacy Services revealed that detectable contamination occurred in all Covidien syringes and 62.5% of Becton Dickenson syringes with PhaSeal CSTDs that were tested. Only EQUASHIELD^® maintained a 100% success rate in preventing detectable concentrations of contamination, making EQUASHIELD^® the only available transfer device proven to protect medical professionals from plunger contamination.

"Our study demonstrates that commercially available syringes, even when fitted with a CSTD, are simply not sufficient for performing multiple manipulations of hazardous drugs," said Fouzia Berdi, Pharm.D, Nebraska Methodist Hospital. "Only Equashield's fully enclosed syringe unit with a pressure equalization system, demonstrated contamination-free transfer and the safe use with hazardous drugs."

The Study, entitled "Evaluation of syringes used for compounding hazardous drugs and the contamination risks to healthcare personnel," was performed at the Department of Pharmacy Services in Omaha's Nebraska Methodist Hospital, by Dr. Fouzia Berdi, Dr. Richard Gonzalez, and Dr. Fred Massoomi, FASHP. It simulated intravenous sterile compounding using Cyclophosphamide (CP) - a typical toxic chemotherapy drug - with three syringe types: Covidien^® and Becton Dickenson^® 60ml syringes attached to the CSTD PhaSeal^® and Equashield^® 60ml syringes attached to EQUASHIELD^® CSTD.

Adhering to USP protocols, multi-step decontamination procedures were used to ensure all vials and surfaces were uncontaminated. After a total of 72 manipulations, ChemoGlo™ sampling kits were used to evaluate CP residue on plunger shafts, while wipe samples were taken from the CP vials, compounders' gloves and each syringe's plunger shaft.

"This independent study comes on the heels of a recent Karmanos Cancer Center study identifying plungers as a major route of exposure to hazardous drugs," said Marino Kriheli, Co-Founder of Equashield. "Simple syringes, even when fitted with CSTDs, cannot prevent plungers from being contaminated. If hospitals are going to follow USP recommendations and invest in CSTDs, they'd be wise to look for the safest solutions available."

Equashield is presenting at Booth #1717 of the ASHP 2014 Midyear Clinical Conference, Anaheim, CA, from Monday-Wednesday, December 8-10, 2014.

About Equashield 

Equashield is a leading provider of Closed System Transfer Devices (CSTDs), clinically proven to protect healthcare professionals from hazardous drug exposure. The company's flagship device, EQUASHIELD^® II covers more routes of exposure than alternative systems by preventing the contamination of syringe plungers and preventing exposure to drug vapor. No CSTD is faster to deploy or easier to use than EQUASHIELD^® II. For more information, visit the company's website at http://www.equashield.com . Follow Equashield on Twitter: @equashield

Media Contact:
Finn Partners for Equashield
Nicole Grubner
[email protected]
+1-929-222-8011

SOURCE Equashield