Teleflex launches ArrowADVANTAGE pressure-injectable peripherally inserted central catheter

Teleflex IncorporatedOct 24 2011

Teleflex Incorporated (NYSE:TFX) today announced the launch of the ArrowADVANTAGE pressure-injectable peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC). ArrowADVANTAGE provides features clinicians have come to expect in a PICC, plus five unique advantages. The design was developed for clinician ease-of-use, smooth insertion and patient comfort.

"With the ArrowADVANTAGE PICC, we have introduced our next generation of non-coated pressure-injectable PICC. Beyond the unique advantages of our PICC, the distal lumen is also VasoNova^® VPS^™ compatible, allowing clinicians to combine the advantages of our PICC with state-of-the art tip location technology," commented Paul Molloy, President, Vascular Division of Teleflex.

Product design features for ease-of-use and patient safety and comfort

ArrowADVANTAGE PICCs have increased radiopacity for visualization under fluoroscopy and x-ray, 5 ml/sec pressure injection indication in the distal lumen and compatibility with the VasoNova VPS stylet. The ArrowADVANTAGE PICC's unique features include:

• Arrow Blue FlexTip® designed to minimize vessel trauma
• Staggered exit ports to reduce the risk of incompatible medications mixing and forming precipitate
• GlideThru™ peel-able sheath over dilator to reduce the need for a skin nick
• SecondSite™ adjustable hub to fasten the catheter at insertion site anywhere along the catheter body
• TaperFree™ catheter design to minimize risk of catheter-related thrombosis.

Catheter-related thrombosis is an important clinical matter to consider. A study in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology reported that the risk of thrombosis rises as French size increases. In this study, thrombosis rates increased more than nine fold when comparing 4Fr to 6Fr sized catheter thrombosis outcomes. Tapered catheter bodies can have considerable difference in French size between the tip and proximal end, putting the widest portion of the catheter into the narrowest portion of the vein.

Maximal Barrier Precautions Tray supports adherence to guidelines

The ArrowADVANTAGE PICC will be packaged with the Arrow^® ErgoPack^™ System, which provides Maximal Barrier Precautions and equips caregivers with 30 systematically organized essential tools to follow guidelines recommended by leading organizations. These include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI).