 My hospital has a relatively new picc team. We are looking into which type of antimicrobial patch is best. It is between the silver and biopatch. If anyone has any ideas ,experience, or research articles I would greatly appreciate it.Â
 My hospital has a relatively new picc team. We are looking into which type of antimicrobial patch is best. It is between the silver and biopatch. If anyone has any ideas ,experience, or research articles I would greatly appreciate it.Â
You should expect the manufacturer to provide you with scientific clinical evidence to support the claims being made for each product. Did the use of the product actually reduce bloodstream infections? If they can not do that, then I would move on to those that can.
I have never seen any clinical research supporting the use of silver impregnated dressing for this purpose, but they may be out there by now.
Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, BC, CRNI
www.hadawayassociates.com
Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, CRNI
Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc.
PO Box 10
Milner, GA 30257
Website http://www.hadawayassociates.com
Office Phone 770-358-7861
We have been using the biopatch at our pediatric facility for about 10 years now and have had relatively few problems with it. It can cause excoriation at the site if it is placed upside down. We had the silver ion rep come and talk to us about the product and we were open to doing a trial to compare to the biopatch. Then I read the little print on the product information sheet. They are unsure of the safety of the patch being in place during MRI due to the sliver ions. So, the patch would have to be removed before the studies are done. It would be difficult to make sure outpatients and any other patients had the product removed before MRI, and who would be available to redress? We did not do the trial and continue our use of the biopatch. Since CHG is not recommended by the manufacturer to use in patients under the age of two months and we have the biopatch in our chg kit, our policy is to use PVP until the age of two months. In our NICU that means adjusted age.
Theresa Reed, BSN, RN
Clincial Coordiantor
Nutrition Support Nurses
Texas Children's Hospital
Houston TX
Teresa, I can see that you work in a NICU setting, Do you also use Povidone iodine to cleanse the skin for blood cultures?? Do you wipe it off after taking the specimen?
thanks,
elvie