FRANKLIN, Tenn. & READING, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Two leading makers of infection control technology for vascular access have united to form the Chlorhexidine Partners Network. Other patient safety-dedicated companies are expected to join the network soon. The founders of the network are RyMed Technologies and Arrow International, Inc., a subsidiary of Teleflex Incorporated.
The network was formed to educate hospital-based infection control professionals about the infection prevention benefits of chlorhexidine, which is a broad-spectrum antiseptic, including chlorhexidine-related best practices for preventing infections.
“An example of chlorhexidine’s value is that it provides an extra measure of infection prevention in an antimicrobial-impregnated IV connector,” said Paul Blackburn, RyMed’s Senior Marketing Director. “In particular, it is more effective than silver alone in killing pathogens associated with bloodstream infections.1 This efficacy informed the design of our InVision-Plus CS® with Neutral Advantage™ technology, the only IV connector that has a septum impregnated with both chlorhexidine and silver.”
Said Kathy Conner, the Vice President of Marketing for Arrow, “Our company has been at the forefront of infection protection since the early 1990s, when we introduced the ARROW CVC with ARROWg+ard® technology, central venous catheters utilizing chlorhexidine. Today, we continue to expand the use of chlorhexidine to our ARROW PICCs with Chlorag+ard technology, which is both antimicrobial and antithrombogenic. We believe that the wider use of chlorhexidine will inevitably result in fewer hospital-acquired infections, which would have tremendous relevance for improved patient safety. It would also mean lower infection-related expenses for hospitals, including fewer outlays for unreimbursed care.”
The Chlorhexidine Partners Network debuted with a presentation by Keith Kaye, M.D., MPH, on the benefits of chlorhexidine, presented at the 2012 annual conference of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). Sponsors of the talk were RyMed, Teleflex and Ethicon, a Johnson & Johnson company.
The network’s scope will include educational efforts and a website, www.chlorhexidinefacts.com, which will launch later this year, to create awareness of chlorhexidine’s role in protecting patients from infection.
Chlorhexidine is a widely used antiseptic for numerous applications in medicine, dentistry, and household use and is the gold standard for several of those applications2. It is effective against both Gram-positive and Gram‐negative bacteria and fungi3. It has both bactericidal and bacteriostatic mechanisms of action, depending on concentration4. Its mechanism of action is membrane disruption5. Chlorhexidine has minimal risk for development of resistance6.
References
1. Chernecky C, Waller J, Macklin D, Caillouet B. “Comparative Effectiveness of Intravenous Connectors.” Poster presented at the 2010 State of the Science Congress on Nursing Research, Washington, DC. September 27-29, 2010.
2. Rohrer N, Widmer AF, Waltimo T, et al. “Antimicrobial Efficacy of 3 Oral Antiseptics Containing Octenidine, Polyhexamethylene Biguanide, or Citroxx: Can Chlorhexidine Be Replaced?” Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. July 2010. Vol. 31, No. 7. pp 733-739.
3. Koljalg S, Naaber P, Mikelsar M. “Antibiotic Resistance as an Indicator of Bacterial Chlorhexidine Susceptibility.” Journal of Hospital Infection. June, 2002. Vol. 51. No. 2. pp 106-113.
4. Kuyyakanond T, Quesnel LB, Selkirk S, Poole S. “The Mechanism of Action of Chlorhexidine.” FEMS Microbiology Letters, 1992. Vol. 79. Nos. 1-3. pp 211-215.
5. Ibid.
6. Genuit T, Bochicchio G, Napolitano LM, et al. “Prophylactic Chlorhexidine Oral Rinse Decreases Ventilator-Associated Pnemonia in Surgical ICU Patients.” Surgical Infections. 2001. Vol. 2. No. 1. pp 5-18.
