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Michael Drafz
BB Braun INTROCAN

Our hospital system is considering a switch to the "Introcan" by BB Braun for financial reasons. Is anyone out there using this catheter routinely on inpatients? Anyone converted recently and how was the experience? What are the pro and cons of this cathether?

THank you.

Michael Drafz

Clinical Lead Vascualar Access Service

Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego

kratz
Karen Ratz,RN St. Lukes

Karen Ratz,RN St. Lukes Hospital, Cedar Rapids,IA

We have used the BBraun Introcan for many years now. We use them on all our inpatients and outpatients. The nicest thing about them is you can not override the safety mechanism and the catheter fits nicely in your hand. If my memory serves me correct when we first started using them(again many, many years ago) there felt like there was a drag in the needle when you were pulling it out of the catheter. They have made engineering changes and we no longer feel that. The conversion was not the easiest as everyone was used to the Insyte. We trialed 3 different types at the time and this was our choice.

Karen Ratz,RN, VA-BC Unity Point St. Lukes Hospital, Cedar Rapids,IA

momdogz
Our department made the

Our department made the switch about 7-8 years ago, and we love them.  Smooth, easy to use, packaging easy to store on IV cart and easy to maintain sterility, comes in different lengths....

It's also the catheter (1.75") I use 99% of the time when inserting PICCs, instead of the 21 gauge seldinger.

Mari Cordes, BS RN 

Nurse Educator IV Therapy
Fletcher Allen Health Care, Burlington VT
Educator, Bard Access Systems 

Mari Cordes, BS RNIII VA-BC
Vascular Access Department
University of Vermont Medical Center

mommaV1755
Marianne Valentine, RN, BSN,

Marianne Valentine, RN, BSN, CRNI, Nurse Manager OptionCare of Cumberland, MD

We have used the Introcan since it first came out and we really LOVE them!!  They are so sharp and smooth and the fact that the saftety needle is passive the nurse must activate it!

Our local hospital had a hard time using them at first because the nurses were used to using another brand that was not as sharp as the Introcan and the nurses kept going through the vein.  Also, I have always taped my catheter in place using the "U" method (we get the ones with the wings) FIRST before disengaging the stylet so there never is an excuse about any kind of drag...never really thought there was one but the nurses at the hospital were complaining.

In all these years in home infusion and long term care there has never been a problem with phlebitis either.  Great catheter!!

Marianne Valentine, RN, BSN, CRNI
Nurse Manager
Pharmacare Infusion Services
Cumberland, MD

Chris Naylor
Michael. We recently

Michael.

We recently switched and had many complaints. I think part of the problem was that is was forced on us with no choice. People are getting used to them but it has been a pretty steep learning curve. Some like them, some hate them. They don't like the drop of blood that it leaves and also there is blood along the shaft of the needle. So there is that exposure risk. I did have one needle stick from my staff when the end didn't completely cover the needle tip.

Give me a call.

Chris

joelbcruz
safety advantage of this

safety advantage of this needle is when you push the catheter into the vein or pull the needle out, it automatically engages the safety feature of it, it doesnt allow you to pull the needle competely out just to check if you have a good blood flow but this decreases shearing the catheter.  Some of our staff loves it, some dont. I dont have any preference. I like the BBraun and the BD. The only diff is that the BBraun had a short handle and the Insyte has a longer handle, both i'm comfortable using. We had no incidents of needle stick with this BBraun thus far. Some staff like the Insyte bcoz you can completely pull the needle out to check your vein blood return but this poses safety hazard both to patient and staff.

Leigh Ann Bowegeddes
Michael,  We have been

Michael,

 We have been using Introcan for several years. It was selected because the safety feature is passive, so compliance with safety is not an issue. For those of us who are older (not you, of course), the Introcan insertion procedure is the same as the old non-safety devices we used to use. It is easy to use. It also works well for PICC insertions in which we use the 20g 1.75" Introcan instead of an echogenic needle. The cannula does not slide off the needle so easily that it comes off when freehanding a PICC insertion.

The disadvantages I have seen relate to droplets of blood coming out of the opening of the safety clip. We have had rare failures of the safety device in the past, in which the clip stayed in the catheter hub when the needle was removed. Haven't seen this happen myself for a few years.  No product is perfect, and the toughest part of any IV catheter trial or conversion is that nurses are very sensitive about changing devices. We get comfortable with a device, and fear that our success rates will be reduced with a product change. This is possibly more prevalent among the nurses who are not vascular access specialists.

Good luck with your trial.

Leigh Ann

Leigh Ann Bowe-Geddes, BS, RN, CRNI

Vascular Access Specialist

University of Louisville Hospital

Michael Drafz
Michael Drafz Vascular

Michael Drafz

Vascular Access Specialist

Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA

Thank you everyone for your responses. It was a great help. The company would not extend the timeline for us to do a trial so we are sticking (literally) with the one we currently use!

Michael Drafz RN, CRNI, VA-BC

Clinical Lead Vascular Access Service

Sharp Metropolitan Medical Campus

San Diego, CA

 

RAllen
I use several kinds but I
I use several kinds but I like the sharpness but don't like the blood that drips off the stylet.
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