All Discussions Tagged 'syringes' - QD Syringe Systems®
2024-03-28T21:23:27Z
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Could the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines Do More for the Safe and Appropriate Use of Injections?
tag:qdsyringesystems.com,2010-11-02:4605644:Topic:903
2010-11-02T00:17:02.000Z
Christopher Green
https://qdsyringesystems.com/profile/ChrisGreen
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Could the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines Do More for the Safe and Appropriate Use of Injections?</span><br></br> <br></br>From the Department of Essential Drugs and Medicines Policy, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland (S. M. D. Logez, K. Holloway, R. Gray, H. V. Hogerzeil) and the Department of Essential Health Technology, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland (Y. J. F. Hutin).<br></br><br></br>Dr. Sophie Logez, Department of Essential Drugs and…
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Could the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines Do More for the Safe and Appropriate Use of Injections?</span><br/> <br/>From the Department of Essential Drugs and Medicines Policy, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland (S. M. D. Logez, K. Holloway, R. Gray, H. V. Hogerzeil) and the Department of Essential Health Technology, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland (Y. J. F. Hutin).<br/><br/>Dr. Sophie Logez, Department of Essential Drugs and Medicines Policy, World Health Organization, Avenue Appia 20, CH 1211, Geneva 27, Switzerland.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold;">Abstract</span><br/><br/>A national drug policy addressing the safe and appropriate use of injections is an important element to prevent overuse and unsafe use of injections. Because the World Health Organization World Health Organization Model List of Essential Medicines is a keystone of national drug policies, the authors examined the way it addresses injection practices. They reviewed the 11th World Health Organization Model List of Essential Medicines to collect information on (1) injectable medicines, (2) diluents, and (3) the recommendations regarding the procurement of injection devices. Of 306 active ingredients on the list, 135 (44%) are mentioned in injectable form. Of these, 41 (30%) need diluents for reconstitution. The list does not mention the need to procure appropriate diluents, injection devices, and safety boxes in quantities that match the quantities of injectable medicines. In addition, the list provides limited information that can be used to forecast the needs of injection devices to administer the injectable medicines that are included in the list. Future revisions of the World Health Organization Model List of Essential Medicines should attempt to reduce the number of injectable formulations on the basis of evidence. In addition, the list should specify that when injectable medicines are being supplied, diluents, single-use syringes, and safety boxes should be supplied. The volume of syringes needed for administration should be specified for each injectable medica
Occupational Hazard - Needlestick prevention
tag:qdsyringesystems.com,2009-12-26:4605644:Topic:403
2009-12-26T15:24:29.000Z
Christopher Green
https://qdsyringesystems.com/profile/ChrisGreen
<p style="text-align:left"><img src="http://www.hospitalmanagement.net/features/feature_images/feature52319/main.jpg"></img></p>
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Janice Huy, Teri Palermo and Eileen Storey of the CDC examine the prevalence of blood-borne infections. How can these be prevented in any healthcare-related profession through national guidelines, simple precautions and staff reporting?<br />
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Exposures to blood and other body fluids occur across a wide variety of occupations. Preventing these exposures is one important step in ensuring a safe working environment for healthcare providers and ancillary…
<p style="text-align:left"><img src="http://www.hospitalmanagement.net/features/feature_images/feature52319/main.jpg"/></p>
<br />
Janice Huy, Teri Palermo and Eileen Storey of the CDC examine the prevalence of blood-borne infections. How can these be prevented in any healthcare-related profession through national guidelines, simple precautions and staff reporting?<br />
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Exposures to blood and other body fluids occur across a wide variety of occupations. Preventing these exposures is one important step in ensuring a safe working environment for healthcare providers and ancillary occupations, and complements healthcare systems' patient safety and infection control efforts. Combining strategies for achieving patient safety and healthcare worker safety ultimately lead to quality healthcare, and quality patient care is the utmost goal of healthcare delivery systems. It is equally important for healthcare personnel to be safe, and healthcare delivery systems should be aware of the practices that promote patient and worker safety.<br />
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Reducing the transmission of infections from patients to healthcare personnel and from personnel to patients is another component of a safe and healthy healthcare environment. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers prevention strategies to accomplish this in the document, Guidelines for Infection Control in Health Care Personnel, 1998. These strategies include: immunizations for vaccine-preventable diseases, management of exposures including the use of post-exposure prophylaxis, and work restrictions for exposed or infected healthcare personnel.<br />
Click here to find out more!<br />
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<b>"The adoption of needleless IV delivery systems in 70% of US hospitals has almost eliminated unnecessary use of needles."</b><br />
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<b>Exposure to blood-borne pathogens</b><br />
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Following occupational exposures to blood and body fluids, healthcare and associated personnel, are at risk of infection from blood-borne pathogens. Although healthcare workers can be exposed to more than 60 pathogens, three are of particular concern – HIV, hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) – because these are the most likely to be transmitted through percutaneous injuries and because they can cause severe illness.<br />
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The risk to healthcare personnel of exposure to blood-borne pathogens through needlesticks, cuts, or other sharps injuries (referred to as percutaneous injuries), as well as through splashes and direct contact with mucous membranes or non-intact skin, is well documented. The CDC estimates that each year 385,000 needlesticks and other sharps-related injuries are sustained by hospital-based healthcare personnel; an average of 1,000 sharps injuries per day.<br />
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The exact number of sharps injuries among all healthcare personnel cannot be determined for several reasons. There is no national surveillance system to collect this data from non-hospital-based (such as, long-term care, home healthcare, private offices) healthcare workers. In addition, not all sharps injuries are reported. Surveys of healthcare personnel indicate that 50% or more do not report their injuries.<br />
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Management, working closely with employees, has the primary responsibility for ensuring a safe working environment. Identifying where and when occupational exposures occur can provide the needed data to support changes in work practices and eliminate sharps injuries. By fostering a culture of safety within the healthcare facility, employers promote an organizational perspective of safety which covers patients, personnel and others.<br />
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Management and employees jointly commit to ensure the safety of the work environment and to be accountable for safety. A culture of safety creates a blame-free environment for reporting sharps injuries and injury hazards. Healthcare personnel who know that management will discuss problems in an open and blame-free manner are more likely to report hazards.<br />
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<b>Occupations most affected</b><br />
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According to data collected by three independent surveillance systems in the US, the occupations who sustain the most sharps injuries are nurses, physicians, technicians (such as operating room technicians, phlebotomists and laboratory technicians), and support services staff, such as housekeepers.<br />
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Although sharp devices can cause injuries anywhere in the healthcare environment, the operating room, in-patient rooms, emergency room and the intensive care unit have been identified as the locations where most sharps injuries occur. Most of the exposures occurred during the use of the sharps device; however, many injuries occurred during disposal of the device, thus creating an unsafe environment for non-provider staff, such as housekeepers.<br />
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The occupational risks of exposure to blood-borne pathogens among healthcare personnel employed in non-hospital settings are not well documented. The risk of percutaneous injury in certain sub-populations of non-hospital-based healthcare personnel may approximate the risk of hospital-based healthcare personnel. For example, those employed in home care were found to be at risk for blood contact, although the rates of percutaneous injury were low. A review of published studies describing exposures to blood or surveillance of blood-borne infections among US firefighters and emergency medical technicians concluded that while there is limited data available, it appears that these occupational groups may have needlestick injury rates comparable to hospital workers.<br />
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<b>Risk and reduction</b><br />
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Many types of sharp devices injure healthcare personnel. The devices most commonly involved are syringes, suture needles and scalpels. Hollowbore needles, which are more likely to transmit blood-borne disease, account for more than 50% of sharps injuries.<br />
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<b>"The CDC estimates that each year 385,000 needlesticks and other sharps-related injuries are sustained by hospital-based healthcare personnel."</b><br />
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Occupational transmission of blood-borne virus infection is a relatively rare event. After a needlestick exposure to an infected patient, a healthcare worker's risk of infection depends on the pathogen involved, the immune status of the worker, the severity of the needlestick injury, and the availability and use of appropriate post-exposure prophylaxis.<br />
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The average risk of HIV transmission after a percutaneous exposure is estimated to be approximately 0.3%. Without post-exposure prophylaxis, there is a 6–30% risk that an exposed, susceptible healthcare worker will become infected with HBV after a single needlestick exposure to an HBV-infected patient. The incidence of anti-HCV seroconversion (indicating infection) averages 1.8% (range, 0% to 7%) per injury.<br />
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There are several strategies to prevent occupational transmission of blood-borne pathogens. HBV vaccine largely prevents infection and has accounted for the more than 95% decline in occupational HBV among healthcare personnel. Post-exposure prophylaxis can be given for HBV and HIV exposure. Currently, there are no vaccines to prevent HIV or HCV infection, nor recommended post-exposure prophylaxis for HCV exposure.<br />
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Therefore, strategies that focus on the prevention of sharps injuries and other blood and body fluid exposures are essential in preventing occupational transmission of these and other blood-borne pathogens to healthcare workers.<br />
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In 1981, McCormick and Maki were the first to recommend a series of sharps injury prevention strategies. The CDC released recommendations for Universal Precautions which included guidance on sharps injury prevention in 1987. Several reports on needlestick prevention published between 1987 and 1991 focused on the appropriate design and convenient placement of puncture-resistant sharps disposal containers and the education of healthcare personnel on the dangers of recapping, bending and breaking used needles. Standard Precautions, first introduced in 1996, combined Universal Precautions and Body Substance Isolation, and focused heavily on the use of barrier precautions and work-practice controls.<br />
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In 1991, the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) first issued its Bloodborne Pathogens Standard. In 1999, NIOSH issued an alert, Preventing Needlestick Injuries in Health Care Settings, which described the risk of needlestick injuries and recommended prevention strategies. Due to strong pressure by nurses groups and representatives of other healthcare personnel, in 2000, in the US, the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act was signed into law and directed OSHA to revise the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard.<br />
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The requirement for using engineering controls to prevent percutaneous injuries was strengthened and soliciting input from frontline healthcare workers in the identification, evaluation and selection of engineering and work practice controls by employers was required.<br />
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While these changes have been in effect since 2001, and 21 states have enacted injury prevention laws that reflect the federal OSHA standard, sharps incidents continue to occur. Contributing to the continuing occurrence of sharps injuries include lack of adoption of safety engineered devices, lack of availability of safety engineered devices for the full range of products, design shortcomings and lack of activation of safety features.<br />
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Healthcare organizations have adopted the hierarchy of control prevention model to prioritize prevention interventions. In the hierarchy for sharps injury prevention, the first priority is to eliminate and reduce the use of needles and other sharps where possible. For example, the wide adoption of needleless IV delivery systems in an estimated 70% of US hospitals has almost eliminated unnecessary use of needles to access IVs. These systems do not require (and in some instances do not permit) needle access. Next is to isolate the hazard, thereby protecting an otherwise exposed sharp, through the use of an engineering control. Engineering controls include sharps disposal containers and needles and other sharps devices with an integrated engineered sharps injury prevention feature.<br />
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When the above strategies are not available or will not provide total protection, the focus shifts to work-practice controls and personal protective equipment. Attempts to reduce exposures to potentially infectious blood and body fluids through the modification of work practices have been limited. Personal protective equipment (gloves, gowns) provides a barrier to shield skin and mucous membranes from contact with blood and other potentially infectious body fluids. While most protective equipment is easily penetrated by needles, the quantity of blood carried by the needle is reduced if a percutaneous injury occurs through gloves.<br />
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<b>Injury-prevention strategies</b><br />
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Although strategies introduced a decade or more ago to reduce the incidence of sharps injuries remain important today, given the incidence of needlesticks and other sharps injuries, additional interventions are clearly needed. These interventions include: surveillance, education and training of healthcare workers, human and organizational factors associated with sharps injuries, and development and implementation of devices with engineered sharps injury prevention features.<br />
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<b>"Although strategies introduced a decade or more ago to reduce the incidence of sharps injuries remain important, additional interventions are clearly needed."</b><br />
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Surveillance of sharps injuries and other blood and body fluid exposures is necessary for monitoring of injury and exposure trends, identifying emerging problems, and targeting and evaluating the impact of prevention measures. Consideration should be given for developing a national reporting system that systematically collects sharps injury data from both hospital- and non-hospital-based personnel.<br />
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Educating healthcare workers about the risks associated with blood-borne pathogen exposures and methods to limit these exposures, including the importance of reporting all injuries, remain crucial to sharps injury prevention efforts. Standardized tools and methods for conducting training are needed, as well as specialized education for occupational groups who are at high risk for blood-borne pathogen exposure.<br />
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Work practice and engineering controls have been the cornerstone of sharps injury prevention efforts for nearly two decades. The implementation of work practice controls (universal precautions/standard precautions) and engineering controls (devices with engineered sharps injury prevention features) in healthcare settings has reduced, but not eliminated, sharps injuries. Adherence to these strategies is less than optimal and research is needed to address barriers to compliance.<br />
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A wide variety of sharps with engineered safety features have been developed, and the efficacy of injury protection for some of these devices has been demonstrated. Additional research is needed to assess the degree to which safety devices are used and the continuing development and improvement of safety engineered device.<br />
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Healthcare delivery systems intent on providing quality patient care also advocate for work practices that support worker safety. Implementing strategies to prevent occupational transmission of blood-borne pathogens can reduce the direct costs and emotional toll that is associated with disease transmission and can help create an organisation-wide culture of safety.<br />
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Research material has been referenced in this text. For full details please contact the editor, andrewtunnicliffe@spgmedia.com
Total Sales of Needles and Syringes to increase to $2 billion by 2010.
tag:qdsyringesystems.com,2009-12-22:4605644:Topic:317
2009-12-22T21:53:12.000Z
Christopher Green
https://qdsyringesystems.com/profile/ChrisGreen
<p style="text-align:left"><img src="http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/4859295/2/istockphoto_4859295-syringe-and-vials.jpg"></img></p>
The safety needles and syringes market represents a large and growing segment of the healthcare industry. In 1999, total sales of needles and syringes in the U.S. reached $759 million. This figure is expected to increase to $2 billion by 2010.<br />
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According to the industry participants in Frost & Sullivan’s study, many believe that <b><u>safety needles and syringes</u></b> will eventually represent a majority of the needles and syringes market. The…
<p style="text-align:left"><img src="http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/4859295/2/istockphoto_4859295-syringe-and-vials.jpg"/></p>
The safety needles and syringes market represents a large and growing segment of the healthcare industry. In 1999, total sales of needles and syringes in the U.S. reached $759 million. This figure is expected to increase to $2 billion by 2010.<br />
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According to the industry participants in Frost & Sullivan’s study, many believe that <b><u>safety needles and syringes</u></b> will eventually represent a majority of the needles and syringes market. The market for safety needles and syringes is expected to grow from 23% in 1999 to a majority of the total needles and syringes market. The number of safety needles and syringes shipped is expected to grow from 900 million units in 1999 to over <b><u>10 billion units worldwide by 2010.</u></b><br />
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<b>Investrend Communications, Inc estimates the number of needles and syringes sold worldwide to be <u>over 24 billion</u>.</b><br />
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<b>The Cost of Change</b><br />
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* The cost of needlestick injury follow-up in the U.S. per incident is around $3,000.<br />
* Accident follow ups cost the US medical industry $1.2 billion annually.<br />
* Annual treatment for contracted diseases in the US is $1.8 billion.<br />
* A total of $3 billion is spent annually in the US on needlestick injuries.<br />
* This is three times the amount spent on conventional syringes.<br />
* And almost 3 times the cost of converting to safety syringes.<br />
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The balance of power is in transition, and the stage is set for the right product to gain more market share than has been achievable in recent history.<br />
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Source:<br />
revolutionsmedical.com
What Are Needlestick Injuries?
tag:qdsyringesystems.com,2009-12-20:4605644:Topic:315
2009-12-20T15:03:10.000Z
Christopher Green
https://qdsyringesystems.com/profile/ChrisGreen
<b>What are needlestick injuries?</b><br />
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<p style="text-align:left"><img src="http://www.ivteam.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/needlestick.jpg"></img></p>
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Needlestick injuries are wounds caused by needles that accidentally puncture the skin. Needlestick injuries are a hazard for people who work with hypodermic syringes and other needle equipment. These injuries can occur at any time when people use, disassemble, or dispose of needles. When not disposed of properly, needles can become concealed in linen or garbage and injure other workers who encounter them…
<b>What are needlestick injuries?</b><br />
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<p style="text-align:left"><img src="http://www.ivteam.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/needlestick.jpg"/></p>
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Needlestick injuries are wounds caused by needles that accidentally puncture the skin. Needlestick injuries are a hazard for people who work with hypodermic syringes and other needle equipment. These injuries can occur at any time when people use, disassemble, or dispose of needles. When not disposed of properly, needles can become concealed in linen or garbage and injure other workers who encounter them unexpectedly.<br />
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Needlestick injuries transmit infectious diseases, especially blood-borne viruses. In recent years, concern about AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), hepatitis B, and hepatitis C has prompted research to find out why these injuries occur and to develop measures to prevent them. Despite published guidelines and training programs, needlestick injuries remain an ongoing problem.<br />
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<b>What are the hazards of needlestick injuries?</b><br />
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Accidental punctures by contaminated needles can inject hazardous fluids into the body through the skin. There is potential for injection of hazardous drugs, but injection of infectious fluids, especially blood, is by far the greatest concern. Even small amounts of infectious fluid can spread certain diseases effectively.<br />
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Accidental injection of blood-borne viruses is the major hazard of needlestick injuries, especially the viruses that cause AIDS(the HIV virus), hepatitis B, and hepatitis C.<br />
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The risk of infection after exposure to infected blood varies by bloodborne pathogen. The risk of transmission after exposure to HIV-infected blood is about 0.3%, whereas it is estimated to be up to 100 times greater for hepatitis B virus (30%) and could be as high as 10% for hepatitis C virus.<br />
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<b>HIV/AIDS</b><br />
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The risk of needlestick transmission of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is considerably less than for hepatitis B virus. Several hundred health care workers have been accidentally exposed, mostly through needlestick injuries, to blood from patients infected with the HIV virus. As of June 1999, researchers report that needlestick injuries transmitted HIV to 49 of these health care workers in the United States. Researchers estimate that needlestick injuries involving blood- contaminated with HIV can spread the virus in 0.3 percent of cases. Stated another way, 99.7 percent of needlestick/cut exposures do not lead to infection.<br />
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In Canada, the Division of HIV Epidemiology Research, Bureau of HIV/AIDS and STD, Public Health Agency of Canada, Health Canada, has reported one case of occupational transmission of HIV that can be clearly linked to a needlestick injury. There have been two other cases of HIV infection in Canada that have been attributed to possible occupational transmission, both involving laboratory workers.<br />
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A possible occupational transmission occurred to a 75 year old Ontario biochemist who had worked in many laboratories with blood and blood products. There were no other risk factors reported.<br />
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Another possible occupational transmission occurred to a Quebec laboratory technician in the early 1990s. This case is still under investigation.<br />
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<b>Hepatitis B</b><br />
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The risk of transmission of HBV is reduced by immunization against hepatitis B, which is 90% to 95% effective. The risk of transmission of HBV to susceptible HCWs via a needlestick injury varies from 1% to 40%.<br />
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Because HBV may survive on environmental surfaces for more than a week, indirect exposure to HBV can occur via contaminated inanimate objects and appears to have been a factor in HBV outbreaks among patients and staff of hemodialysis units.<br />
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<b>Hepatitis C</b><br />
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Needlestick injuries may also transmit hepatitis C. The risk factors for hepatitis C virus transmission in occupational settings is 1.8% (range 0% to 7%).<br />
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Needlestick injuries have transmitted many other diseases involving viruses, bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms to health care workers, laboratory researchers, and veterinarian staff. The diseases include :<br />
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* Blastomycosis<br />
* Brucellosis<br />
* Cryptococcosis<br />
* Diphtheria<br />
* Cutaneous gonorrhea<br />
* Herpes<br />
* Malaria<br />
* Mycobacteriosis<br />
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* Mycoplasma caviae<br />
* Rocky Mountain spotted fever<br />
* Sporotrichosis<br />
* Staphylococcus aureus<br />
* Streptococcus pyogenes<br />
* Syphilis<br />
* Toxoplasmosis<br />
* Tuberculosis<br />
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Many of these diseases were transmitted in rare, isolated events. They still demonstrate, however, that needlestick injuries can have serious consequences.<br />
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<b>How common are needlestick injuries?</b><br />
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Needlestick injuries are far too common hazard. Some hospitals report one third of nursing and laboratory staff suffer such injuries each year.<br />
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Available statistics probably underestimate the severity of the problem because many workers do not report their injuries. This makes it difficult to know exactly how serious the problem is or how well prevention programs work.<br />
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<b>How do needlestick injuries occur ?</b><br />
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A needlestick injury is the result of an accident with a needle. Several studies show that needles cause injuries at every stage of their use, disassembly, or disposal. But there is disagreement as to why the accidents are so common among health care workers or why simple solutions fail to solve the problem.<br />
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Nursing and laboratory staff usually experience 30 to 50 percent of all injuries during clinical procedures. Equipment design, nature of the procedure, condition of work, staff experience, recapping, and disposal have all been mentioned as factors that influence this occurrence.<br />
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<b>Equipment Design</b><br />
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Safer innovative devices using protected needle devices or needle-free systems with self-sealing ports would alleviate many of these injuries. There is accumulating evidence suggesting that syringes with safety features reduce needlestick injuries.<br />
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<b>Nature of Procedure</b><br />
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Critical situations during clinical procedures include:<br />
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* withdrawing a needle from a patient, especially if staff attend to bleeding patients while disposing of the needle.<br />
* having the device jarred by a patient.<br />
* pulling a needle out of the rubber stopper of a vacuum tube which can jab the hand in a rebound reflex.<br />
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Injuries commonly occur when workers try to do several things at the same time, especially while disassembling or disposing of needles.<br />
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<b>Conditions of Work</b><br />
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Work conditions that might contribute to an increase in the number of needlestick injuries include:<br />
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* staff reductions where nurses, laboratory personnel and students assume additional duties.<br />
* difficult patient care situations.<br />
* working at night with reduced lighting.<br />
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<b>Staff Experience</b><br />
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New staff or students tend to have more needlestick injuries than experienced staff.<br />
Recapping<br />
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Recapping can account for 25 to 30 percent of all needlestick injuries of nursing and laboratory staff. Often, it is the single most common cause.<br />
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It is extremely dangerous to hold a needle in one hand and attempt to cover it with a small cap held in the other hand. Injuries occur three different ways:<br />
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* the needle misses the cap and accidentally enters the hand holding it.<br />
* the needle pierces the cap and enters the hand holding it.<br />
* the poorly fitting cap slips off of a recapped needle and the needle stabs the hand.<br />
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Several agencies have recommended that workers avoid recapping needles before disassembly or disposal. Despite this, some health care workers have continued the practice even when informed of the dangers. In some cases, inappropriate training or force of habit may be responsible. In a recent study, however, workers gave the following reasons for recapping despite knowing about the potential hazards:<br />
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* to protect themselves when disassembling a non-disposable needle device with an exposed contaminated needle.<br />
* to protect themselves from exposed needles when several items were carried to a disposal box in a single trip.<br />
* to store a syringe safely between uses if its contents were to be administered in two or more doses at different times.<br />
* to protect other people in crowded conditions on the way to the disposal box.<br />
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Guidelines from the Laboratory Centre for Disease Control recommend that workers do not recap (or bend or cut) needles but dispose of them directly into approved, puncture-proof containers.<br />
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<b>Disposal</b><br />
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Needlestick injuries commonly occur when workers dispose of needles. They occur when staff use special containers for needles and sharps. They also occur when needles are disposed of improperly in regular garbage or lost in the workplace.<br />
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<b>Special Containers</b><br />
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Up to 30 percent of needlestick injuries of nursing and laboratory staff occur when workers attempt to dispose of needles using sharps containers. Accidents occur at every step:<br />
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* while carrying the needle to the disposal container, especially when the needle is uncapped and mixed with other trash.<br />
* while placing the needle into the disposal container, especially if the container is overfilled.<br />
* while emptying disposal containers instead of sealing them for disposal.<br />
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<b>Improper Disposal</b><br />
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Virtually all needlestick injuries of domestic and portering staff are from needles that have either been lost in the workplace or thrown into regular garbage. Janitors and garbage handlers can also experience needlestick injuries or cuts from "sharps" when handling trash that contains needles or scalpels. Most investigators find it difficult to understand why this situation occurs. Some attribute the problem to forgetfulness or lack of motivation or training on the part of people who work with and dispose of needles. Others feel that inconvenient disposal systems contribute to these incidents.<br />
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Maintenance staff have also experienced needlestick injuries when they have been cleaning ducts or other areas with their hands and have found hidden needles and syringes. These injuries have usually happened when they are reaching into areas where they cannot see and were not wearing leather gloves.<br />
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<b>How can needlestick injuries be prevented?</b><br />
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Preventing needlestick injuries is the most effective way to protect workers from the infectious diseases that needlestick accidents transmit. A comprehensive needlestick injury prevention program would include:<br />
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* employee training.<br />
* recommended guidelines.<br />
* safe recapping procedures.<br />
* effective disposal systems.<br />
* surveillance programs.<br />
* improved equipment design.<br />
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Employee Training<br />
<br />
To reduce needlestick injuries, an effective program must include employee training. Workers need to know how to properly use, assemble, disassemble, and dispose of needles. Workers need to understand the risks associated with needlestick injuries and know the proper means to prevent them. Specifically, the training programs should address:<br />
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* risk of injury.<br />
* potential hazards.<br />
* recommended precautions for use and disposal of needles.<br />
* procedures for reporting injuries.<br />
* the importance of hepatitis B vaccination where appropriate.<br />
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<b>Recommended Guidelines</b><br />
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The Laboratory Centre for Disease Control's Bureau of Communicable Disease Epidemiology reviews, publishes, and updates guidelines to protect staff from exposure to all blood-borne disease-causing agents.<br />
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<b>The following guidelines deal specifically with needle safety:</b><br />
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* Needles, scalpel blades and other sharp instruments--workers should consider these as potentially infectious and handle them with care to prevent accidental injuries.<br />
* Disposable needles and syringes, scalpel blades, and other sharp items--workers should place these in puncture-resistant containers located near the area of use. They should avoid overfilling the containers because accidental needlestick injuries may occur.<br />
* Recapping--Workers should not recap needles by hand or purposely bend, break, or remove them from disposable syringes or otherwise manipulate them by hand<br />
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<b>Safe Recapping Procedures</b><br />
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In situations where recapping is considered necessary, develop safe approaches which workers can follow. Workers should never move an exposed needle tip towards an unprotected hand.<br />
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<b>Single-Handed Scooping</b><br />
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Recapping can be safe when people lay the cap on a flat surface and scoop it onto the tip of a syringe held in one hand. They must keep the free hand away from the sheath and well behind the exposed needle.<br />
<br />
<b>Recapping Devices</b><br />
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Several devices are available for recapping needles safely. Some devices permit single-handed recapping by parking a needle cap on a flat surface. Other devices are designed to protect the hand that holds the cap during two-handed recapping procedures. As yet, most products have not received independent testing and the two-handed recapping process remains a cause for concern. Recapping devices require further investigation. They may provide a practical solution for situations where recapping is considered necessary.<br />
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<b>Disposal</b><br />
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An effective system for disposing of used needles is crucial to preventing needlestick injuries. Having disposal containers readily available can greatly reduce the concern for recapping needles.<br />
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Workers should place needles in wide-mouth, puncture-proof containers. Locate disposal containers specifically where needles are used to make safe disposal possible without recapping. Replace the containers before they are completely filled. Make sure they are sealed, collected, and disposed of in accordance with local regulations for biomedical waste.<br />
<br />
All staff should report every incident in which they find needles left at the bedside or thrown into the regular garbage.<br />
<br />
<b>Surveillance</b><br />
<br />
There is still a serious lack of information about the various factors that cause accidents with needles. Surveillance programs that provide in-depth analysis of needlestick accidents are an important tool for obtaining this information. The goals of these programs should include:<br />
<br />
* determining the rate of needlestick injuries.<br />
* investigating the factors that cause the injuries.<br />
* ensuring that injured workers receive proper treatment.<br />
* identifying areas in which the prevention program needs improvement.<br />
* eventually providing practical strategies for dealing with the problem.<br />
<br />
The Division of HIV Epidemiology Research, Bureau of HIV/AIDS and STD, LCDC maintains a program to monitor occupational exposure to HIV-infected blood and body fluids among health care workers.<br />
<br />
<b>Continued Innovation</b><br />
<br />
There is a need for further investigation and innovation to develop means for preventing needlestick injuries. These investigations should aim:<br />
<br />
* to identify the types and designs of needle instruments that are potentially capable of causing needlestick injuries.<br />
* to understand better how needle devices are normally handled in the workplace and how they cause injuries.<br />
* to find methods that eliminate the need to move hands towards the tips of contaminated needles, or to manually disassemble contaminated needle equipment.
Needlestick injuries beef up syringe market
tag:qdsyringesystems.com,2009-12-05:4605644:Topic:72
2009-12-05T23:24:21.000Z
Christopher Green
https://qdsyringesystems.com/profile/ChrisGreen
<b>Needlestick injuries beef up syringe market</b><br />
By Wai Lang Chu,<br />
<br />
<br />
According to a new report, the market for needle-free injection devices and safety syringes will exceed $2.49bn (€2.1bn) by 2009, buoyed on by the increase of incidences in needlestick injuries and high consumer demand for syringe alternatives.<br />
<br />
Biopharmaceutical research and development is sure to dramatically increase the number of injectable drugs coming to market over the next few years. While advanced drug delivery…
<b>Needlestick injuries beef up syringe market</b><br />
By Wai Lang Chu,<br />
<br />
<br />
According to a new report, the market for needle-free injection devices and safety syringes will exceed $2.49bn (€2.1bn) by 2009, buoyed on by the increase of incidences in needlestick injuries and high consumer demand for syringe alternatives.<br />
<br />
Biopharmaceutical research and development is sure to dramatically increase the number of injectable drugs coming to market over the next few years. While advanced drug delivery techniques continue to hold promise for unique methods of administration, the traditional injection is still the dominant paradigm.<br />
<br />
However, the staggering costs and intransigent safety problems associated with sharps, along with consumer demand and the move to alternate site care, are pushing for alternatives to traditional needles and syringes faster than advanced delivery technologies can come online.<br />
<br />
Annual needlestick injuries in the US alone average 600,000 to 1 million, and estimates indicate that as many as 80 per cent of the incidents could be prevented with the use of needle-free devices and safety syringes.<br />
<br />
The report, by market research firm Kalorama Information, details the costs associated with needlesticks-costing institutions over $3,000 per injury even when no infection occurs-coupled with other factors, such as patient fear of needles and the resulting lack of compliance, are strong enough drivers to grow the market by a compounded annual rate of 11 per cent over the next four years.<br />
<br />
Whether the devices are insulin pens for diabetics or mono-dose vaccine injectors, developing newer and safer ways of administering a wide variety of drug therapies is here to stay, even if such devices do come with a higher price tag.<br />
<br />
"Certainly the development, testing, regulatory approval, and eventual mass manufacturing of such devices is not cheap, yet the costs need to be continually weighed against the greater benefit to global health," said Joseph Constance, the report's author.<br />
<br />
"With newer injectable drugs coming to market and incidences of diseases requiring injectables, such as diabetes, escalating worldwide, the need for safer devices will continue to grow the market."<br />
<br />
The report explains that the alternative in the short term appears to be the growing industry of needle-free injection and safety-engineered syringes.<br />
<br />
These devices, ranging from simple sheathed safety needles to complex gas jet injection systems, are competing in a vigorous marketplace, some sectors of which are growing at an annual rate in excess of 20 per cent.<br />
<br />
Main market players in this arena include, Johnson & Johnson, Becton Dickinson and Kendall Healthcare, which is a Tyco International Company.<br />
<br />
While these companies are jostling for the number one position, there are an emerging number of companies who are seeing market niches go unmet.<br />
<br />
These companies include including Antares Pharma, Bioject, D'Antonio Consultants International, Retractable Technologies and Safety Syringes.<br />
<br />
The need for improved safety is clear especially as The Occupational Safety & Health Administration estimates that 8 million workers in the health care industry and related occupations are at risk of occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens, including HIV, Hepatitis (Carried by at least 4 million Americans) and others.
Safety Syringes : A ruling in Scotland may spur uptake of safe syringes.
tag:qdsyringesystems.com,2009-12-03:4605644:Topic:23
2009-12-03T02:31:24.000Z
Christopher Green
https://qdsyringesystems.com/profile/ChrisGreen
<p><span class="font-size-6"><b>MARKET WATCH</b> ~ <strong>A HISTORY LESSON</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3323499869?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-left" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3323499869?profile=original" width="296"></img></a></p>
<p><b><br></br></b></p>
<p><b>Safety Syringes</b><br></br> <br></br> A ruling in Scotland may spur uptake of safe syringes.<br></br> <br></br> <strong><i>Norbert Sparrow</i></strong><br></br> <br></br> Safety devices for prefilled syringes from Rexam Pharma feature a passive design, in which the needle…</p>
<p><span class="font-size-6"><b>MARKET WATCH</b> ~ <strong>A HISTORY LESSON</strong></span></p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3323499869?profile=original"><img class="align-left" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3323499869?profile=original" width="296"/></a></p>
<p><b><br/></b></p>
<p><b>Safety Syringes</b><br/> <br/> A ruling in Scotland may spur uptake of safe syringes.<br/> <br/> <strong><i>Norbert Sparrow</i></strong><br/> <br/> Safety devices for prefilled syringes from Rexam Pharma feature a passive design, in which the needle automatically retracts inside a protective cover following injection.<br/> <br/> Safety at any price? Not when it comes to syringes, apparently. Although it is estimated that 1 million needlesticks occur in Europe each year, only 2.5% of syringes on the market are fitted with a safety device, according to international consultancy Frost & Sullivan (London). About half of the 12 billion syringes produced annually for the global market could be replaced with safety products, but the expense involved in doing so has been a formidable barrier.<br/> <br/> Syringes are considered to be a commodity product, and anything that drives up production costs faces almost insurmountable odds in gaining acceptance. Cost-benefit analyses, thus far, have failed to persuade regulators and purchasers. But what has been called a landmark decision in Scotland may change the terms of the debate, according to William Dierick, corporate planning manager at Terumo Europe N.V. (Leuven, Belgium) and a member of the EUCOMED task force on sharps injuries prevention.<br/> <br/> <strong>Cost Is Not a Valid Defense</strong><br/> <br/> The ruling involves the case of a paramedic in Edinburgh who accidentally jabbed himself with a needle while giving a shot of adrenalin to a patient who had overdosed on drugs. The paramedic was due to be married in a few months, and the possibility that the needlestick might have infected him with HIV or hepatitis caused him and his fiancée considerable anguish. Scotland’s public service employee trade union Unison took the case to court on his behalf.<br/> <br/> “Scotland’s National Health Service (NHS) had been studying the introduction of safety devices, but ruled out recommending them because of the costs involved,” says Dierick. “The judges in the Unison case determined that NHS’s refusal to introduce safety syringes on cost grounds alone was a breach of employment and safety laws. Basically, this ruling says that liability cannot be swept away simply because of the cost of [implementing] a safe workplace,” says Dierick. “At EUCOMED, we consider this to be a landmark case.”<br/> <br/> Speaking to a reporter from the British Broadcasting Corp., Unison solicitor Patrick Maguire said that NHS is in breach of national and European law if it does not introduce safer needles. Cost is not a defense, he stresses. “There is no excuse any longer. NHS has to do something about it.” Adds Unison official Jim Devine, the precedent set by the test case affects all healthcare workers. “Every health board in Scotland will have to take on board the implications of this decision,” says Devine. “They have to discard the old-style needles and introduce safety needles throughout the Scottish health service.”<br/> <br/> <strong>The US Model</strong><br/> <br/> <a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3323499999?profile=original"><img class="align-left" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3323499999?profile=original" width="200"/></a>Sharps injury prevention has been mandated in the United States since the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act was signed into law in 2000. It required the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to revise existing regulations governing bloodborne pathogens standards to facilitate the use of “safer medical devices,” including sharp objects with built-in safety mechanisms and needleless systems. The updated standard also requires employers to maintain a log of injuries from contaminated sharps. What little analogous legislation exists in Europe has been ineffective, thus far.<br/> <br/> “There is workplace regulation in force at the European level, but nothing specific to needlesticks,” notes Patrice Lewko, marketing director at Rexam Pharma (Suresnes, France). Lewko notes that directives 89/391/EEC, 89/655/EEC, 2000/54/EC, and even the Medical Devices Directive (93/42/EEC) oblige healthcare providers to eliminate or reduce risk in the workplace.<br/> <br/> “Germany’s TRBA 250 are the only national guidelines in Europe that specify safety requirements for healthcare employees. In particular, they state that sharps should be replaced by safety products whenever possible,” says Lewko. But the guidelines have not had much of an impact thus far, according to Dierick. “The technical rules, or guidelines, are about one year old, and implementation is about 1%. That is why EUCOMED is urging greater action on the legislative front,” he adds.<br/> <br/> In the United States, healthcare personnel were instrumental in pushing legislation forward, notes Frost & Sullivan analyst Kavitha Ravikumar, who authored the report, “Strategic Analysis of the European Safety Syringes Market.” Public pressure has the potential to be a driver in Europe as well, she believes. Safety-syringe manufacturers must consider supporting movements lobbying for laws and simultaneously work at raising awareness of safety issues, she stresses. The minute that a law is passed, adds Ravikumar, the market will surge. In this regard, Scotland may be a bellwether for the rest of Europe. According to Lewko, it’s quite possible that the makers of prefilled syringes will be the avant garde of the movement.<br/> <br/> Rexam’s Safe’n Sound safety device for prefilled syringes has sparked considerable interest among customers, says Lewko. “The syringe snaps into the system,” explains Lewko. “Following injection, the needle retracts inside a protective cover.” Since it is a passive device, retraction is automatic, preventing needlesticks and reuse.<br/> <br/> While the company has been showing the product for about two years, it has not yet been made on an industrial scale. “Because of the different syringe formats, we can’t begin mass production of the Safe’n Sound system until we have a commitment from a customer,” explains Lewko. He is, however, cautiously optimistic. “We feel that there will be forward momentum in the prefilled-syringe market. The pressure to contain costs is not as pronounced in this sector as it might be in the medical device market, because the drug and the syringe are bundled together,” says Lewko.<br/> <br/> Clearly the technology is available to dramatically reduce sharps injuries in the workplace. Rexam’s Safe’n Sound, and UltraSafe products from US-based SafetySyringes Inc., are but two well-known examples. “It’s hard to predict where the market is going in terms of technologies and costs, because it hasn’t even begun [to take shape] in Europe,” says Terumo’s Dierick. “But I can say this: We need to look beyond the cost of safety devices and consider the hidden costs of doing nothing.”<br/> <br/> <strong>Supplier Profiles</strong>:<br/> <br/> <strong>Machines Automate Assembly of Safety Syringes</strong><br/> <br/> Available in two versions, an automated packaging system has been designed to insert syringes into a safety device. The APS200 and APS300 systems, named according to the number of items that can be processed per minute, were developed by Corima (Sienna, TU, Italy), part of the Marchesini Group, to process products such as the UltraSafe Passive Delivery System from US-based Safety Syringes Inc.<br/> <br/> The equipment inserts the ready-to-use syringes into the safety device. A machine vision system verifies the assembly: if any of the supports are misaligned, the syringe mechanism is tripped to render the device unusable. The vision system can be programmed to verify other customer-specified parameters. Cylindrical safety devices also can be processed by the system, which can be fitted with a labeling device for round products.<br/> <br/> The versatile system can be installed downstream from filling and labeling machines or upstream from thermoforming equipment.<br/> <br/> The Corima APS200 is currently being used to package safety devices at a German pharmaceuticals facility.<br/> <br/> <strong>Firm Offers Detachable Labels for Safety Syringe Use</strong><br/> <br/> Various labels are designed by a company to facilitate the work of hospital staff and to protect patients. One such product offered by Schreiner Group GmbH & Co. KG (Oberschleissheim, Germany) is suited for use with safety syringes. After administering a drug, the user can peel two detachable labels off the needle protector for documentation purposes simply by rotating the syringe.<br/> <br/> Operating in a similar fashion, the company’s Pharma-Comb labels can be easily detached and reapplied to another surface. This feature permits information from the product vial to be transferred directly to a syringe. E-Temp labels are also available. They record temperatures to which a product has been exposed to determine if a drug that has been in transit, for example, has stayed within its predefined temperature limits.<br/> <br/> For medical device OEMs, the firm routinely develops self-adhesive products that incorporate added-value and functional elements. RFID solutions, high-end instrument labeling, and membranes for pressure compensation and humidity protection are among its capabilities.<br/> <br/> <strong>UV Systems Provide Rapid Cure for Safety Syringes</strong><br/> <br/> Microwave-powered UV curing systems reportedly provide unrivaled consistency and repeatability in medical bonding applications. That was why Futura Medical Corp. (Solana Beach, CA, USA) specified a UV curing system when it approached sortimat Technology (Winnenden, Germany) to design an automated assembly system for its line of safety syringes. The F300SQ UV curing system supplied by Fusion UV Systems Inc. (Alton, Hants, UK) cures the adhesive that bonds the stainless-steel needles to the plastic cannulae.<br/> <br/> During the assembly process, an automatic dispenser places a precise amount of adhesive onto the parts, which then travel underneath the curing lamp. Throughout five station indexes, or a total of 10 seconds, the parts are exposed to the lamp to ensure sufficient curing.<br/> <br/> On occasion, a problem may cause the machine to stop operation. When this happens, the F300SQ lamp goes into standby mode, maintaining low power to enable lamp restart at any time. This ensures that the plastic parts under the lamp don’t melt while technicians fix the problem. When the machine starts up again, the UV curing unit is able to restart immediately.<br/> <br/> Curing equipment from Fusion UV Systems is available with a remote blower or a built-in modular unit, which is typically used with automated safety syringe assembly systems.<br/> <br/> <strong>Silicone Improves Performance of Autodisabling Syringes</strong><br/> <br/> A manufacturer of autodisabling syringes based in Taiwan replaced a thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) material used to make certain syringe parts with a liquid silicone rubber (LSR). Supplied by GE Bayer Silicones (Leverkusen, Germany), the LSR reportedly improved the performance of the devices and boosted manufacturing productivity.<br/> <br/> IRI, which manufactures and markets the syringes, recently entered the medical device molding market. It was important to the company to establish a reputation for excellence right out of the gate, says operations manager Andrew Zheng. The syringes, which are produced in 1-, 3-, 5-, 8-, and 10-ml models, contain a proprietary O-ring and plunger tip and stopper that attach to the needle holder. TPV did not fulfill the product’s performance requirements, notes Zheng, and the company switched to the LSR material, which enabled the syringes to function and disable correctly. It also led to manufacturing efficiencies.<br/> <br/> Ultimately, the company expects to produce five billion syringes per year, so it was important to source a material for the syringe components that could accommodate accelerated cycle times. According to IRI, GE’s LSR 2670 exhibits some of the best cycle times available. It also features good demolding characteristics and minimal mold fouling to further speed production.<br/> <br/> Additional properties of the two-component material include low viscosity and chemical and UV light resistance.<br/> <br/> <strong>Systems Designed for Syringe - Marking Applications</strong><br/> <br/> Drawing on more than 40 years of experience developing printing and laser marking equipment, a company specializes in building systems that meet specific customer needs. Tampoprint AG (Korntal-Münchingen, Germany) has designed numerous systems for the medical sector that comply with GAMP guidelines, including a number of machines for syringe-marking applications.<br/> <br/> The company offers printing machines with a throughput of 300 to 400 syringes per minute that can be easily integrated into assembly lines. Machine vision systems can be added to verify print quality. Innovations introduced by the firm include the use of UV pad-printing inks, instead of solvent-based inks, to accelerate curing cycles and streamline processing; a vertical printing unit that can be used without an ink pump, thus reducing changeover times; the use of ceramic clichés in lieu of steel cylinders; and the development of a silicone ink for transfer printing along with a core ring system that reduces production costs by requiring that only the silicone, and not the entire core, be changed.<br/> <br/> <strong>Copolyester Is Clear Choice for Safety Syringe</strong><br/> <br/> The UltraSafe passively activated safety syringe from Safety Syringes Inc. (Carlsbad, CA, USA) comprises two moulded components: an outer guard that prevents needlesticks, and an inner body. The outer guard is moulded from polycarbonate (PC). For the inner body, the company needed a material that had the strength and clarity of PC while minimizing friction. The firm ultimately settled on Eastar copolyester DN003 from Eastman Chemical (Kingsport, TN, USA).<br/> <br/> The UltraSafe system’s outer guard has a grip that is automatically activated after injection. When the plunger bottoms out, the syringe slides back into the body of the device, where the needle is covered up by the guard.<br/> <br/> During product design, engineers determined that the inner and outer parts of the device should have the same look and feel. To reduce friction and ensure the timely release of the safety mechanism, however, each component had to be moulded from a different material. The copolyester from Eastman Chemical was selected because it did not cause undue friction yet provided the required mechanical functionality. In addition, the material processes similarly to PC.</p>
<p><br/> <br/> <span class="font-size-1"><em>Copyright ©2005 European Medical Device Manufacturer</em></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-1"><em>------------------------------------------------------------------------</em></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-1"><em><br/></em></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-5"><em><a href="http://www.qdss.co" target="_blank">www.QDSS.co</a></em></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-5"><em><br/></em></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-5"><em><span class="font-size-1">------------------------------------------------------------------------</span><br/></em></span></p>
Analysis of safety syringe market
tag:qdsyringesystems.com,2009-12-03:4605644:Topic:9
2009-12-03T02:08:19.000Z
Christopher Green
https://qdsyringesystems.com/profile/ChrisGreen
One of the biggest challenges facing manufacturers of safety syringes in Europe is the lack of legislation on the use of these products in health care settings.<br />
<br />
Till date, none of the European countries has introduced clear rules governing the usage of safety devices or making their use mandatory. Some countries such as Germany have issued broad directives but these are meant to be guidelines and leave the final decision to the discretion of the purchasing agency.<br />
<br />
New analysis from Frost…
One of the biggest challenges facing manufacturers of safety syringes in Europe is the lack of legislation on the use of these products in health care settings.<br />
<br />
Till date, none of the European countries has introduced clear rules governing the usage of safety devices or making their use mandatory. Some countries such as Germany have issued broad directives but these are meant to be guidelines and leave the final decision to the discretion of the purchasing agency.<br />
<br />
New analysis from Frost & Sullivan reveals that the European safety syringes market generated a market revenue of USD 13 million in 2003 and is projected to double by 2010.<br />
<br />
Given that needlestick injuries amount to a staggering one million in Europe every year, and that 16 to 25 per cent of these are linked to the usage of single-use syringes, the market for safety syringes - which prevent needlestick injuries as well as discourage reuse - looks extremely promising.<br />
<br />
"A legislation that is sympathetic to the problems faced by the number of needlestick injuries occurring in Europe and the hazards of infection by over 20 pathogens that health workers face is needed," comments Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Kavitha Ravikumar. "This will not only be socially lauded but also act as an effective driver to the safety syringes market."<br />
<br />
The Needlestick Prevention Act introduced in the United States represents the first true legislation towards mandating the use of safety engineered products in health care settings. This landmark legislation was introduced to address the growing concern of the health care industry for the safety of its employees. With the spread of blood-borne diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis, there is now, more than ever, an urgent need for safer devices that eliminate needlestick injuries.<br />
<br />
Huge health care expenditure on drug-related infections - over USD 900 million in the case of Spain and about USD 700 million in the case of Italy - can also be potentially controlled if syringe reuse and needle sharing become difficult due to distribution of safety syringes in place of the ordinary ones.<br />
<br />
The Needlestick Prevention Act has been instrumental in opening up a new market with considerable potential - the European market. While this market is still relatively very small, the increasing awareness of safety issues and the demands of health care workers for safer work environments are expected to help it grow significantly in the future.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, in the absence of specific government legislation, safety syringe manufacturers must consider supporting movements lobbying for such laws and simultaneously work at raising awareness of safety issues and the drawbacks of not using safety devices.<br />
<br />
Currently, it is estimated that over 50 per cent of ordinary syringes have the potential to be replaced by safety products. This number is expected to rise to considerably in 2010 due to technological advances. Market penetration is also set to show substantial long-term increases from the presently low levels of 2.5 per cent.<br />
<br />
However, the high prices of safety syringes are likely to be a major constraint to market growth. These devices are perceived to be far too expensive at a time when almost all end-user markets are focused on cost-cutting.<br />
<br />
In spite of their proven advantages over ordinary syringes, adoption by healthcare agencies has not been very significant. Cost of new technology in a growing market combined with small-sized end-user markets is likely to continue to keep prices high.<br />
<br />
"Participants can consider applying for subsidies and exemptions on the welfare and citizen protection platform to bring down manufacturing costs, and consequently product prices," says Ms. Ravikumar. "Passing on the benefits of economies of scale can also help lower prices and drive demand for safety syringes."<br />
<br />
With syringes being a commodity market, there is a strong need to play up the innovation and technology benefits of these products. Companies must concentrate on the prestige and reputation associated with having safety products in their portfolios, particularly in premium and specialty health care areas.