New device helps improve infection prevention and enhance the patient experience.
The new BD Vacutainer® UltraTouch™ Push Button Blood Collection Set aims to improve phlebotomy procedures for both clinicians and their patients. It not only offers clinically proven protection for clinicians against costly needlestick injuries that potentially expose them to bloodborne pathogens, but also features proprietary needle technology to help enhance the patient experience.
“Phlebotomy is often one of the first procedures hospital patients undergo and one of the first interactions they have with an institution’s clinical staff, which can set the tone for the entire hospital stay,” says Dr. Ana K. Stankovic, worldwide vice president of medical affairs for BD Life Sciences – Preanalytical Systems and Global Health. “With U.S. reimbursement levels tied to patient satisfaction and the rise of online patient reviews, clinicians are seeking ways to improve these high-touch procedures.”
The BD Vacutainer UltraTouch Push Button Blood Collection Set employs patented PentaPoint™ Comfort 5-bevel needle technology. Studies have shown that this design helps reduce the chance of a painful injection by creating a flatter, thinner surface to help penetrate the skin with significantly greater ease.[i] When combined with BD RightGauge™ technology, which increases the needle’s inner diameter and enables clinicians to select a smaller gauge needle, this new device can reduce penetration forces by up to 32 percent when compared to another leading blood collection set.[ii]
“The ability to use smaller gauge needles should also help clinicians access veins more successfully,” says Dr. Stankovic. “This could prove especially valuable in certain patient populations, which have difficult or fragile veins.”
According to Dr. Stankovic, clinicians are traditionally reluctant to use smaller gauge needles (i.e., a 25-gauge needle versus a 23-gauge) for fear of increasing hemolysis – the rupture or destruction of red blood cells – as the blood passes slowly through the narrow cannula.
“With BD Vacutainer UltraTouch Push Button Blood Collection Sets, clinicians can select the gauge that is most appropriate for their patients, without compromising sample quality, testing accuracy and their own efficiency,” says Dr. Stankovic.
This new product also features clinically demonstrated safety technology – a split-second retracting needle that offers in-vein activation – which has been shown to reduce needlestick injuries by up to 88 percent over forward-shielding safety blood collection sets.[iii]
To determine whether this next-generation safety blood collection set is right for their clinical customers, sales reps should ask:
- “What kind of feedback do you receive from your patients about their blood collection procedures?”
- “How often are your clinicians challenged with accessing difficult or fragile veins during phlebotomy procedures?”
- “Do your clinicians currently use a forward-shielding safety blood collection set?”
- “Are phlebotomy-related needlestick injuries a concern to your clinicians?”
[i] Hirsch L.J. et al. Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology. 2012, 6(2):328-35.
[ii] 2015 BD bench testing versus BD Vacutainer® Push Button Blood Collection Sets
[iii] Hotaling M. A retractable safety winged steel (butterfly) needle performance improvement project. Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety 2009, 35(2):100-105.
Infection Prevention: Sponsored by BD