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Vascular Access Management

Vascular access management is the comprehensive category of products, solutions and services providing a continuum of vascular access care, from patient assessment to device removal, designed to reduce vascular-related complications.

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Overview
VAM Resources
VAM Events
Partner with BD

Up to 90% of hospital inpatients require IV therapy¹

From insertion to removal, vascular access devices could see more than 200 touches

Every vascular access patient's journey is unique and full of variables:

Multiple products to insert, care for and maintain the device
Many clinicians across shifts and care settings with varying skill levels and objectives

Partner with BD to assess your vascular access risk

Vascular access complications can occur at many stages

Intravenous therapy is so common that it may be easy to forget there is potential for harm. Complications may arise when placing a vascular access device, ranging from infectious and thrombolitic, to mechanical and more. These complications are a major cause of vascular access device premature failure. By better understanding the potential for risk, you can be better prepared to protect patients from IV complications.

Learn more about some of the vascular access-related complications that can occur >>

Download our brochure to learn more about what you can do to help improve practices in your hospital >>

BD can help assess VAM practices and potential areas for improvement in your facility >>

A catheter-related bloodstream infection (CR-BSI) is when the catheter is identified as the source of the infection.^2* Signs and symptoms to look for include erythema; edema; any pain or tenderness or drainage and/or fever.^2**There are extraluminal and intraluminal areas that could be potential spots for contamination, leading to CR-BSIs from risk of breaking asepsis during insertion or care and maintenance; seeding bacteria from another site of infection; and ingress of bacteria due to non-intact dressing or suboptimal insertion site.^3*

Learn more about some of the vascular access-related complications that can occur >>

Download our brochure to learn more about what you can do to help improve practices in your hospital >>

BD can help assess VAM practices and potential areas for improvement in your facility >>

^{2*. Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice. J Infus Nurs. 2021; 44(1S): S204.

2**. Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice. J Infus Nurs. 2021; 44(1S): S154.

3*. Safdar N, Maki DG. Int Care Med. 2004; 30(1): 65.}

When a catheter is blocked, this can either prevent infusion or injection of solution into a catheter, aspirate blood from a catheter, or both.^2* Signs and symptoms to look out for include sluggish flow and/or blood return, inability to withdraw blood, flush and/or infuse through the catheter, frequent occlusion alarms on an electronic infusion device, and infiltration or extravasation or swelling and/or leaking at the infusion site.^2** Occlusions may be caused by multiple factors, including allowing an infusion to run dry, improper flushing, infusing incompatible medications, or employing an improper clamping sequence.^2**

Learn more about some of the vascular access-related complications that can occur >>

Download our brochure to learn more about what you can do to help improve practices in your hospital >>

BD can help assess VAM practices and potential areas for improvement in your facility >>

^{2*. Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice. J Infus Nurs. 2021; 44(1S): S210.

2**. Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice. J Infus Nurs. 2021; 44(1S): S150.}

Catheter movement into or out of the insertion site indicating tip movement to a suboptimal position.^2* Signs and symptoms include the inability to continue infusion, increased external catheter length since previous assessment and leakage at insertion site. Additionally, if the catheter moves out of the vein but not the skin, it can result in edema, pain, changes in skin color and even progress to blistering and ulceration.^2** Risk factors to consider include poor site selection, loosening of the catheter due to inadequate stabilization and lack of proper securement, as well as patient manipulation such as arm or body movement.^2†

Learn more about some of the vascular access-related complications that can occur >>

Download our brochure to learn more about what you can do to help improve practices in your hospital >>

BD can help assess VAM practices and potential areas for improvement in your facility >>

^{2*. Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice. J Infus Nurs. 2021; 44(1S): S204.

2**. Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice. J Infus Nurs. 2021; 44(1S): S143.

2†. Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice. J Infus Nurs. 2021; 44(1S): S165.}

Inflammation of a vein^2* could be evident by pain and tenderness, erythema, warmth, swelling and redness at the catheter site.^2**There are multiple chemical, mechanical and bacterial issues that could be the cause. These include use of irritating solutions, not allowing skin antisepsis to dry, inadequate hemodilution, improper catheter size or stabilization techniques, breaks in aseptic technique or non-occlusive dressing.^2**

Learn more about some of the vascular access-related complications that can occur >>

Download our brochure to learn more about what you can do to help improve practices in your hospital >>

BD can help assess VAM practices and potential areas for improvement in your facility >>

^{2*. Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice. J Infus Nurs. 2021; 44(1S): S211.

2**. Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice. J Infus Nurs. 2021; 44(1S): S138.}

Infiltration occurs when a nonvesicant solution or medication is inadvertently administered into tissue surrounding the catheter site, whereas extravasation occurs when the solution or medication is vesicant.^2*When this occurs, the patient may suffer from edema, pain, changes in skin color and fluid leakage from the catheter insertion site, additionally extravasation may progress to blistering and ulceration.^2** A myriad of issues may cause infiltration or extravasation, including inappropriate insertion site, inadequate stabilization, difficult access history, medications that alter pain sensation, disease that produces change in vasculature, use of deep veins with insufficient catheter length, and the inability of the patient to report their symptoms.^2†

Learn more about some of the vascular access-related complications that can occur >>

Download our brochure to learn more about what you can do to help improve practices in your hospital >>

BD can help assess VAM practices and potential areas for improvement in your facility >>

^{2*. Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice. J Infus Nurs. 2021; 44(1S): S206, S207.

2**. Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice. J Infus Nurs. 2021; 44(1S): S143.

2†. Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice. J Infus Nurs. 2021; 44(1S): S142.}

Vascular access complications can be costly

Calculate the potential costs of complications

On average, Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infections (CR-BSIs) cost €11,219 per patient occurrence⁴*. Unnecessary, peripherally inserted venous catheter (PIVC) restarts can cost a 200-bed hospital more than €993,989^† ($980,000) annually.¹

Calculate the cost of CLABSIs in your facility:

Input your total annual number of CR-BSIs

Average cost per CR-BSIs^4*

Your estimated financial impact of CR-BSIs

Calculate the cost of PIVC restarts in your facility*:

Input your total PIVC annual utilization

Average percent of PIVC failure¹

Average cost per stick^5*

Your estimated financial impact of PIVC failure

Your estimated cost of complications

Discover more about how the BD Vascular Access Management program may help you »

*Unnecessary, peripherally inserted venous catheter (PIVC) restarts can cost a 200-bed hospital more than €993,989^† ($980,000) annually.¹

† Converted from US Dollar to Euro using Xe Currency rate on November 2, 2022.
4. Range of costs from the study by Tacconelli E et al. (ICU setting): €4’200-13’030; Median: €8’615; inflated from 2009 to 2022: €11’219 (about 30% inflation rate).
5. Cost of catheter removal (€2.26) + cost of second cathether placement (€9.74), including nurse time and all material. These data are in the supplementary material available to support the publication.

Helping patients on the vascular access continuum

As a clinician, you’re often tasked to perform one of the most common invasive procedures—placing a vascular access device. With the right training and knowledge, you may potentially reduce vascular access complications and improve patient outcomes. And we’re here to help, every step of the way.

1.Select

2.Prepare

3.Place

4.Secure

5.Connect

6.Maintain

SELECT the right vascular access device

Vascular access is an integral component of many patients care management plans.⁶Vascular access has the potential to greatly improve a patient’s wellbeing; however, it also poses inherent risks.^6,7To minimize these risks it is critical to ensure that Healthcare Professionals (HCP) choose the most appropriate vascular access device (VAD) for the patient and their individual needs.^6,8

Peripheral IV catheters
Midline catheters
Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs)
Port access needles

At BD, we developed digital tools to help healthcare professionals (HCPs) select the optimal vascular access device based on the therapy and drug(s)/regimen, but also considering specific patient elements such as medical history, lifestyle and co-morbidities.

By digitizing the device selection process we aim to provide a platform to engage with HCPs to help identify not only the most optimal clinically suitable VAD option, but the most appropriate choice for the individual patient.⁸

Contact us to walk you through the process of identifying the best solutions to meet your patients' vascular access needs.

PREPARE the skin

Perform skin antisepsis with correct aseptic procedures to help ensure a sterile environment. Using the single-use sterile applicator containing an antiseptic agent of alcohol-based chlorhexidine solution.^2*

BD ChloraPrep™ skin preparation

^{2*. Infusion Nurses Society. Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice. J Infus Nurs. 2021; 44(1S): S96.}

Let us help identify potential gaps to improve clinical practice in your facility >>

PLACE the catheter

Place the catheter successfully for first stick success and correct tip positioning. Using guidance technologies such as ultrasound guidance, tip location systems (TLS)^2* and tip confirmation systems (TCS).**

IV catheter guidance systems

^{2*. Infusion Nurses Society. Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice. J Infus Nurs. 2021; 44(1S): S66.}

^{**. The Sherlock 3CG Tip Confirmation System for placement of peripherally inserted central catheters | 5 Cost considerations. U.K. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/mtg24/chapter/5-Cost-considerations. Published 2015. Updated 30 May 2019. Accessed 13 Jan 2023.}

Let us help identify potential gaps to improve clinical practice in your facility >>

SECURE the catheter

Stabilize and secure the catheter at the insertion site. Using adhesive-based engineered stabilization devices (ESDs) may reduce the risk of complications, including infection and catheter dislodgement.^2*

IV stabilization devices

^{2*. Infusion Nurses Society. Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice. J Infus Nurs. 2021; 44(1S): S109.}

Let us help identify potential gaps to improve clinical practice in your facility >>

CONNECT the catheter

Connect securely to deliver infusions to help ensure safe and consistent medication delivery. Use needle free connectors designed to help reduce the risk of infectious complications.

Needle-free connectors

Let us help identify potential gaps to improve clinical practice in your facility >>

MAINTAIN the catheter

Help prevent IV complications by using appropriate vascular access practices and devices to care for and maintain intravenous lines for the duration of each patient's treatment:

Flushing with prefilled saline flush syringes²*
Protecting the line when not in use with 70% isopropyl alcohol disinfecting caps²**

^{2*. Infusion Nurses Society. Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice. J Infus Nurs. 2021; 44(1S): S113.

2**. Infusion Nurses Society. Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice. J Infus Nurs. 2021; 44(1S): S115.}

Let us help identify potential gaps to improve clinical practice in your facility >>

An integrated solution that may help improve vascular access care

VAM Solution

Products

Practice

Policies

The majority of vascular access complications can be prevented.1 But only by assessing and improving the practices, products and policies that affect the care of each line in your facility.

Creating a better ecosystem is the key to change.

CLEAN3 Clinical Trial provides robust evidence to support the BD vascular care bundle for peripheral IV catheters. This may improve patient outcomes, reduce the number of unnecessary catheter restarts, and decrease the overall cost of care.

Learn more about the BD Vascular Access Management process >>

Discover which vascular access products make the most sense for your patients, will help reduce the risk of complications, and may improve the quality of patient care.

Learn more about the BD Vascular Access Management process >>

A variation in practice can open the door to risk of vascular access complications. By standardizing best practices that are aligned with your facility’s policies, you can streamline processes to make it simpler for every clinician to place a line.

Learn more about the BD Vascular Access Management process and patient safety >>

Healthcare and industry guidelines are ever-evolving. Staying on top of new standards, government regulations and vascular best practice guidelines can pose a challenge. We can help you navigate this complex landscape so you can focus on patient care.

Learn more about the BD Vascular Access Management process >>

We all play a role in patient care

Success in vascular access care and improving patient outcomes
requires strong collaborations.

You are a caregiver whose role is to provide patients with a positive experience and the best possible care.

Your challenges	How BD can help
Staying up to date on current evidence-based practices in vascular access as healthcare continues to evolve rapidly.	Our extensive portfolio of vascuar access devices, paired with product training and education, can help you address the vascular access needs of all patients.
Finding targeted continuing education resources quickly that meet your developmental needs.	We partner with key opinion and clinical thought leaders to create and share webinars on the latest data and insights.
Changes in staff or frequent turnover can create variation and gaps between best practices and current practice.	Our customer assesment and recommendation programme may help reduce variation while providing visibility into discord between practice and policies.

Learn more about BD solution programmes >>

You are a clinical leader who is passionate about reducing risks of healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) and improving overall quality of care.

Your challenges	How BD can help
Addressing and reducing risks of HAIs in your facility while ensuring patient care is not being compromised due to lack of consistency of best practices.	Our vascular practice assesment and consulting programmes can improve visibility into gaps between policies and practice, which may be leading to vascular access complications.
Staying up to date on the latest technologies and best practices in preventing HAIs as science continues to evolve.	We offer the latest insights and evidence-based practices from key opinion leaders (KOLs) in our library of webinars and resources.
Changing staff and frequent clinician turnover can create variation in knowledge and expertise resulting in gaps in clinical practice.	Our on-demand training and education programs support development for clinicians at all levels and can help your facility sustain adherence to vascular access best practices.

Learn more about BD solution programmes >>

You are responsible for managing relationships with the vendor whose products help standardize practice and improve clinical outcomes while maintaining your hospital's economic goals.

Your challenges	How BD can help
Acquiring information about the latest vascular access innovations that provide both financial efficiencies and improved patient outcomes.	We can provide insight into the financial and clinical implications of implementing new technologies with our library of data and resources.
Understanding key attributes of vascular access devices that provide both positive patient and economic outcomes.	Our extensive portfolio of vascular access products and evidence-based medico eco models can help you make informed decisions.
Finding and tracking gaps in vascular access clinical practice that may be negatively making an impact on patient experience and/or economic outcomes.	Our customer vascular assessment and consulting programme can improve visibility into gaps between policies and practice, which may be exposing your organization to risk.

Learn more about BD solution programmes >>

Go to IV News

CLEAN3 - Randomized Clinical Trial Published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases

First-of-its-kind randomized clinical trial outlines potential new standard-setting best practices for peripheral IV catheters (PIVCs)

March 30, 2022

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CLEAN3 clinical trial outlines potential new best practices for peripheral IV catheters - Video Summary

Professor Olivier Mimoz, head of the emergency department at Hôpital Universitaire de Poitiers, France, and principal investigator of the CLEAN3 trial, summarizes the results of the trial published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases. The trial showed that the use of the BD vascular care solution resulted in fewer PIVC failures compared with the standard group (34.8% vs. 47.5%. respectively) and extended the median time between catheter insertion and failure (50.4 hours vs 30.0 hours, respectively).

February 6, 2023

Overview of Vascular Access Management in supporting patient and clinician safety

An overview brochure on how BD’s Vascular Access Management (VAM) approach allows us to work closely with clinicians to help reduce vascular access complications and improve patient safety and quality of care.

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Understanding peripherally compatible drugs

How much do you know about infusates and infusion complications? Multiple known complications can result from different medications that require consideration when selecting a vascular access device. We developed a guide to help you understand the medication before choosing a peripheral device.

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BD Vascular Access Management Complication Awareness Brochure

Inconsistent and suboptimal practices, as well as a lack of standardization in vascular access, can contribute to various complications. This brochure summarizes different vascular access-related complications and shows how BD can help improve practices and standard of care in hospital setting.

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Clinical Evidence Compendium on Peripheral IV catheters

A summary of the key clinical and in vitro studies supporting the use of BD peripheral intravenous catheters

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BD’s Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice - Webinar Series 2021

An exciting discussion with healthcare experts who have authored or are closely involved with the INS Standards of Practice. This is an incredible opportunity to hear why standards are written the way they are, what guidelines are considered for inclusion, and what this means to your clinical practice, no matter where you are in the world.

September 15, 2021

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Infection Prevention—Creating a Culture of Awareness and Action

Dr Cristina Nunes is the local coordinator for the “Programme for Prevention and Control of Infection and Antimicrobial Resistance” in Portugal. In this webinar, she discusses the impact of the first phase of infection prevention bundles on key vascular access procedures and how creating a culture of awareness is the catalyst for change.

March 8, 2022

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The Prevention of Peripheral Venous Catheter Failure

Webinar on the Prevention of Peripheral Venous Catheter Failure with Dr. Miquel Pujol MD, PhD.

May 4, 2022

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Address gaps in your vascular access process with four steps

With our help, you may see improvements in clinical outcomes with BD products, such as reduction in blood exposure during insertion, increased average dwell time of peripheral IVs and decreased vascular access complications, additionally, your facility could benefit from economic efficiencies with enhanced protocols and best practices.

Assess and recommend

Learn more below

Select and implement

Learn more below

Train

Learn more below

Chart and policy reviews

Clinical practice assessment

a. Interviews

b. Direct observations

Action plan to improve where gaps identified

Comprehensive portfolio of products

Since we are a global leader in vascular access devices, you can be confident that the products you are using are engineered to the highest quality and safety standards, backed by years of development and healthcare use. Our goal is to help you provide the best possible care at every step in the vascular access continuum.

1.Select

2.Prepare

3.Place

4.Secure

5.Connect

6.Maintain

<h3>SELECT the right vascular access device</h3>
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SELECT the right vascular access device

PREPARE the skin

Prepare the skin with appropriate antiseptic solution and application technique >

PLACE the catheter

Ultrasound systems to simplify vascular access by allowing visualization of PICC placements from beginning to end >

Tip confirmation systems (TCS) to eliminate the need for chest x-rays, enabling immediate therapy without delays >

SECURE the catheter

CONNECT the catheter

Needle-free connectors designed to access the catheter safely and reduce the risk of infections >

MAINTAIN the catheter

Disinfecting caps to maintain a physical barrier against contamination for up to 7 days >

Expert BD clinical training and education

Our clinical teams collaborate with your facility's leadership to develop curricula that addresses your unique BD product training needs, while supporting evidence-based policies and procedures. With a solid educational program in place, you can maintain best practices, which leads to repeatability and sustainability for continuity.

Learn more about BD training and education opportunities

Earn

Review our vascular access on-demand clinical education webinars to earn continuing education credit
Engage

Explore My BD Learning for additional training and educational resources

Helm RE, Klausner JD, Klemperer JD, Flint LM, Huang E. Accepted but unacceptable: peripheral IV catheter failure. J Infus Nurs. 2015;38(3):189-203
Infusion Nurses Society. Infusion Nursing Standards of Practice. J Infus Nurs. 2021;39(1S):S1-S159
Safdar N, Maki DG. The pathogenesis of catheter-related bloodstream infection with noncuffed short term central venous catheters. Int Care Med. 2004;30(1):62-67. doi: 10.1007/s00134-003-2045-z
Tacconelli E et al. Epidemiology, medical outcomes and costs of catheter-related bloodstream infections in intensive care units of four European countries: literature- and registry-based estimates.Journal of Hospital Infection, 2009, 72:97–103
Maunoury F. et al. Cost-effectiveness analysis of bundled innovative devices versus standard approach in the prevention of unscheduled peripheral venous catheters removal due to complications in France. PLoS One. 2022 Jun 14;17(6):e0269750. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0269750. PMID: 35700207; PMCID: PMC9197036
Carole Hallam et al. “Development of the UK Vessel Health and Preservation (VHP) framework: a multi-organisational collaborative”, Journal of Infection Prevention 2016
Mauro Pittiruti et.al European recommendations on the proper indication and use of peripheral venous access devices (the ERPIUP consensus): A WoCoVA project” The Journal of Vascular Access 1–18 © The Author(s) 2021
I. Magallón-Pedrera et.al “ECO-SEOM-SEEO safety recommendations guideline for cancer patients receiving intravenous therapy” Clinical and Translational Oncology (2020) 22:2049–2060

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Vascular Access Management

Up to 90% of hospital inpatients require IV therapy¹

From insertion to removal, vascular access devices could see more than 200 touches

Vascular access complications can occur at many stages

Vascular access complications can be costly

Discover more about how the BD Vascular Access Management program may help you »

*Unnecessary, peripherally inserted venous catheter (PIVC) restarts can cost a 200-bed hospital more than €993,989^† ($980,000) annually.¹