“With around 30% of PICCS developing serious complications, there is little doubt that improvements in technologies are needed…This technology is novel and potentially life-saving, and early trials have indicated safety,” states Amanda Ullman, RN, PhD.

Greg Vigna, MD, JD, national product liability attorney, PICC line and midline attorney states, “My law firm is investigating cases of blood clots and blood infections caused by properly positioned PICC lines and midlines that have occurred since 2013. Since that time there has been available technology to reduce these serious complications. Safer designs of PICC lines should be on every shelf in hospitals across the country and the older devices put in the trash can.”

Hospitals have policies and procedures in place for nurses that are designed to reduce the risks of intravascular catheter-related infections related to PICC lines, mid-lines, Ports, and other central lines based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations since 2011. Despite this, there are still 250,000-500,000 central line associated blood stream infections each year that have a mortality rate of 10-25% with complications that cost over 1 billion dollars.”

What should be done to reduce infections?

Dr. Vigna continues, “It has been known for decades that central lines that have blood clots have a double the risk of catheter sepsis. Reducing thrombosis risks is the answer. Removing the older polyurethane and silicone PICC lines from hospital shelves that don’t utilize effective technologies is the solution. Safer technology that reduces the risks of thrombosis has been available since 2013.”

“It has been known for decades that central lines that have blood clots have a double the risk of catheter sepsis. Reducing thrombosis risks is the answer.” — Greg Vigna, M.D., J.D.

Amanda Ullman, RN, PhD, an expert on anti-thrombogenic PICC lines, describes the new technology that utilizes Endexo wrote, “This technology is novel and potentially life-saving and early trials have indicated safety… Further post-market evaluation of these devices is necessary to ascertain efficacy and efficacy.”

What is sepsis? Multiple organ damage from inflammation as a result of infection that may result in organ damage to brain, kidney, heart, liver, and lung.

What is septic shock? A life-threatening condition that caused dangerously low blood pressure because of infection that may result in amputations of fingers and toes, brain damage, kidney failure, ventilator dependence, oxygen dependence, and nerve damage.

What is a deep venous thrombosis? Blood clots in the deep venous system that is referred to as a DVT that have the potential to break off and travel to the lung and this is called a pulmonary embolism.

Dr. Vigna is a California and Washington DC lawyer who specializes in serious injuries cases cause by defective medical devices. He represents the injured with the Ben Martin Law Group, a national pharmaceutical injury law firm in Dallas, Texas. The attorneys are product liability and medical malpractice attorneys, and they represent the most injured across the country.

References:
https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/BSI/index.html
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S001236921547641X
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17434440.2019.1555466

Greg Vigna, MD, JD
Vigna Law Group
+1 800-761-9206
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