RT Image February 16, 2009 : Page 19|TECHNOLOGY SPOTLIGHT| Access Scientific Inc. Catheter safety introducer SAN DIEGO-BASED ACCESS SCIENTIFIC INC. HAS RECENTLY RECEIVED U.S. FDA CLEARANCE FOR ITS MICROACCESS WAND® , an all-in-one safety introducer, allowing clinicians to more quickly and safely insert a sheath or catheter into the peripheral vasculature. The Wand enables clinicians to perform the Accelerated Seldinger Technique (AST) when accessing the vascular system, and is designed to improve first- attempt success rates while decreasing procedure times. The MicroAccess Wand is intended to streamline the process of over-wire vascular access, by incorporating a 21g, thin-walled needle, Nitinol® guidewire, and an advanced dilator and sheath into a single device. Designed to reduce bleeding, contamination, and guidewire embolism, the Wand also incorporates patented, passive needlestick safety. Available in two sizes, the MicroAccess Wand is supplied with either an echogenic or standard needle. The Nitinol guidewire has a 0.018-inch flexible tip, while the nylon dilator has a bullnose tip – designed for atraumatic entry into the vessel – and the sheath is made from radiopaque polyurethane. “The MicroAccessWand is the first device to enable clinicians to perform the Accelerated Seldinger Technique, which we believe is the ultimate refinement in vascular access technology,” says Steve Bierman, MD, CEO of Access Scientific. “FDA clearance of the first version of the Wand marks a major step forward in making the Accelerated Seldinger Technique available to clinicians.” First developed in 1953 to reduce catheter complications in blood vessels and hollow organs, the Seldinger technique has undergone significant improvements over the years, eventually developing into the Modified Seldinger Technique (MST). Unfortunately, this technique still carries serious risks for patients and clinicians, including air embolisms or air bubbles in the bloodstream, caused by the insertion or removal of a central venous catheter. There is significant cost to the facility to treat this complication, and, in October 2008, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ceased reimbursing healthcare institutions for air embolism, which they consider preventable. In a recent study, led by Bonnie Smith, RN, manager of the IV Expected to be used primarily in interventional radiology suites and cardiac catheterization labs, the Wand enables clinicians to perform the Accelerated Seldinger Technique when accessing the vascular system, and is designed to improve first-attempt success rates while decreasing procedure times. “Studies have already demonstrated the Wand’s ability to reduce the risk of an air embolism by 50 percent, while also providing passive needlestick safety,” Bierman says. “Because the Wand provides both clinical and cost-savings advantages, we expect to see strong early adoption of the Accelerated Seldinger Technique among leading clinicians.” therapy department at a Florida medical center, researchers compared the AST to the MST, while evaluating AST using the Wand. The research demonstrated substantially fewer “open-to- air” events which create embolisms, advanced needstick safety features, and a faster speed to complete the AST versus the MST. “The AST device performed impressively in our study,” says Smith. “MST was originally developed as a safer procedure, but most clinicians don’t recognize that the challenges with MST are avoidable. It’s noteworthy that this new device appears to significantly improve upon the old technique.” Expected to be used primarily in interventional radiology suites and cardiac catheterization labs, the Wand has been designed to reduce the risk of accidental needlesticks, bleeding, contamination, guidewire embolism, and the loss of cannulation. Access Scientific Inc. www.the-wand.com For more radiology products, visit us on theWeb. www.rt-image.com |www.rt-image.com| February 16, 2009 |19| Access Scientific Inc. Access Scientific Inc.Catheter safety introducer Publication List |
