P025 - Clinician Acceptability of the Introcan Safety® 2 Catheter

Diana Valencia, MD - B. Braun Medical Inc.
Sue Ballek, BS, RN - B. Braun Medical Inc.
Christopher Curtin, BS - B. Braun Medical Inc.
Allyson Marshall-Hudson, PhD - TKL Research, Inc.
Michael Tuley, PhD - TKL Research, Inc.
Angela Karpf, MD - B. Braun Medical Inc.

Purpose: : The acceptability, usability, and overall ease of use of the Introcan Safety® 2 intravenous catheter (IS2), a safety engineered catheter with blood control septum, was evaluated among clinicians who frequently use peripherally inserted intravenous catheters (PIVCs). This study was conducted in healthy volunteers at a Phase 1 site.

Methods: : Clinicians were at least 18 years of age, employed in a clinical setting, and performed at least 5 PIVC insertions per week. Each clinician completed a total of 6 IS2 procedures on 2 to 4 healthy volunteer human subjects. An observer documented study procedures including, how many attempts it took for a clinician to get a successful stick and what vein was selected for the procedure. Clinicians responded to yes/no or Likert scale (strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree) questionnaires describing their experiences with the IS2 after each procedure and after all procedures were completed. Questionnaire data was summarized by frequency and percent of responses; analyses were conducted utilizing binomial statistics.

Results: : Ninety-six percent (96%) of clinicians considered the IS2 to be acceptable. Clinicians were able to observe the primary and secondary flashbacks, did not have to change their regular PIVC insertion technique, found the catheter easy to insert, were able to easily remove the needle from the catheter hub, believed the catheter would protect them from blood exposure during insertion of the catheter, and were able to flush the catheter (agreement ranged from 83% to 97%).

Limitations:: This was a healthy subject study conducted in a Phase I site, which may not represent all real world PIVC insertions.

Conclusions: : Overall, the IS2 was acceptable among the clinician population (>96% agreement). Furthermore, the IS2 was considered safe, easy to use, and allowed clinicians to maintain their usual PIVC insertion technique.