University Hospitals Case Medical Center Taps Velano Vascular Technology for Needleless Venous Blood Collection

CLEVELAND, April 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- University Hospitals (UH) today announced a collaboration with medical technology company Velano Vascular to use its PIVO needleless device for painless, high quality inpatient venous blood draws. The new device's breakthrough approach to peripheral intravenous catheter (PIV) blood draws will be launched initially at UH Case Medical Center in the Telemetry and Cardiac Intensive Care units, representing the first major U.S. academic medical center to commercially adopt Velano's innovation with the aim to establish a new standard of care.

"Within a hospital setting, the blood draw is one of the most common yet most critical aspects of patient care," said Cheryl O'Malley, Vice President of Medical-Surgical Service, UH Case Medical Center. "Blood collection practices and technologies have not materially changed in decades, making it an area ripe for innovation. We are excited to explore the potential for pain and stress-free inpatient venous blood draws for patients and practitioners alike, and believe the Velano technology holds enormous potential for both patient experience and improved healing."

More than 400 million blood draws annually inform as much as 70 percent of all clinical decisions in U.S. hospitals alone. Many of these are conducted in a hospital setting on patients that receive as many as three blood draws daily. The pain and trauma of needle sticks for patients, the concern of nurses for the potential to be stuck by a contaminated needle, and the increasing need for enhanced efficiencies and improved patient experience in health care institutions all point to a glaring need for improvements in blood collection practices. 

The FDA-approved PIVO innovation is a single-use, disposable device that expands the use of peripheral IV lines for frequent, high quality and needle-free blood draws. By attaching PIVO to a patient's IV catheter, practitioners can collect blood via a tube which is advanced through the IV. This new blood collection practice aims to reduce hospitals' reliance on repeat needle sticks and central line blood draws to provide a more compassionate care experience for hospital patients, a safer environment for caregivers, and a more financially responsible alternative for health systems.

"We are excited to work with one of the world's most innovative health systems in University Hospitals to reduce the pain, risk and inefficiencies of traditional blood collection practices," said Velano Vascular CEO Eric M. Stone, a native Clevelander who was a UH Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital patient as a teenager. "This collaboration can dramatically improve the patient experience and healing process, while significantly reducing risk for accidental needle sticks and delivering efficiencies for those challenging patients with fragile veins."

SOURCE University Hospitals Case Medical Center

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