News & Events

Responding to customer demand, BD Medical, a segment of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), is now offering BD Instaflash™ Needle Technology for all 20-gauge product in its BD Autoguard™ Family of Shielded IV Catheters. BD’s offering of products with BD Instaflash™ Needle Technology is the most extensive in the industry.

“With this unique needle technology, BD continues to lead the way in offering new and innovative products,” said Gregory Meehan, Vice President, BD Medical–Medical Surgical Systems. “There is no greater testament to the quality of our products than customer requests to supply this technology for a broader range of products to benefit patients.”

BD Instaflash™ Needle Technology is designed to help clinicians instantly confirm entry of the catheter into the vessel. To describe this unique design, BD uses the term “first-stick proficiency” -- meaning the clinician now has a greater chance to make their first IV stick the only stick. This is made possible through a small notch in the needle cannula through which quicker blood return “flashback” confirms vessel entry for the clinician and is designed to improve the likelihood of accessing difficult or compromised veins, which in turn can provide greater patient comfort.

BD’s full implementation of BD Instaflash™ Needle Technology for 20-gauge products will impact all BD Insyte™ Autoguard™ and BD Angiocath™ Autoguard™ Shielded IV Catheters. BD is currently the only company to offer this technology on all 20-, 22-, 24-gauge safety-engineered peripheral IV catheters and on a safety-engineered 26-gauge (1.9 Fr) PICC and midline introducer.

Along with improving patient comfort, BD Autoguard™ Shielded IV Catheters are the safety-engineered catheters proven to demonstrate effective needlestick reduction. The unique, patented push-button shielding mechanism releases the spring and allows the needle to quickly retract into the safety barrel.

Results of an Autoguard Effectiveness Study conducted by Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York, NY, a 1,000-bed teaching hospital, clinically demonstrated that the BD Insyte™ Autoguard™ reduces needlestick injuries by 95% [1].

Needlesticks and other sharps injuries present a dramatic exposure risk to hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), HIV and other bloodborne pathogens and represent an occupational hazard to over 5.6 million U.S. workers in the healthcare industry. BD is a pioneer in the development of safety products designed to protect healthcare workers and patients, and is continuously seeking to expand the utilization of products that protect against sharps injuries.

Overall, BD offers the most complete line of advanced protection products in the industry. Recognizing the risks surrounding sharps-related injuries, BD leads the world in providing devices that may reduce the incidence of sharps injuries and exposure to bloodborne pathogens.

About BD

BD, a leading global medical technology company that manufactures and sells medical devices, instrument systems and reagents, is dedicated to improving people’s health throughout the world. BD is focused on improving drug therapy, enhancing the quality and speed of diagnosing infectious diseases, and advancing research and discovery of new drugs and vaccines. The Company’s capabilities are instrumental in combating many of the world’s most pressing diseases. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, BD employs more than 25,000 people in approximately 50 countries throughout the world. The Company serves healthcare institutions, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, industry, and the general public. For more information, please visit www.bd.com.