Challenge

Approximately 90% of all the patients that are hospitalized need some form of intravenous therapy administration. The regular procedure for intravenous cannulation requires finding a suitable vein to insert the needle assembled with a catheter for the later extraction of the needle leaving the catheter in place. One of the most common complications to occur during the procedure is the reflux of the blood from the vein to the exterior catheter. This situation promotes catheter occlusion and leads to some other unwanted complications such as infiltrations, phlebitis and bloodstream infections. Additionally, for a safe administration of medication, the catheter needs to be secured in the site of insertion and the most common method for fixation is using adhesive tape over the skin surrounding the catheter which is described as uncomfortable and causes irritation in the skin of the patients.

Solution

Bioana’s proposal eliminates the risk of reflux with the design on a specialized one-way valve that prevent blood from coming out the IV line. We also improved catheter attachment to the patient’s skin through an ergonomic design and without using adhesives. A finite element analysis was also carried out to evaluate the stress generated on the component and choose the material with the best performance.

Results

This resulted in an integration of anti-reflux technology while maximizing the comfort of the patient during attachment. This allowed patients to move freely and with confidence.