Why use a safety IV catheter?

• Technology exists to protect end users from needlestick injuries.
  
  
• Over 200,000 new hepatitis C infections (HCV) occur annually, and estimates show 3.9 million Americans are infected. Forty percent of chronic liver disease is HCV-related. There is no cure for hepatitis C.
  
  
• An estimated 1-1.25 million people in the US are infected with hepatitis B (HBV). 10-85% of infants born to HBV infected mothers are at risk for perinatal infection. Screening pregnant women for hepatitis B surface antigen has failed to identify a high proportion of HBV-infected mothers. Children of HBV infected mothers have a high risk of acquiring chronic HBV infection during the first 5 years of life. There is no cure for hepatitis B.
  
  
• Hepatitis Delta (HDV) can cause co-infection or superinfection in an HBV carrier. All hepatitis viruses can cause active and chronic hepatitis. Annually, 4,000-5,000 people die of chronic liver disease while waiting for a liver transplant.
  
  
• Infectious disease statistics show that 28% of HIV infected adults have children. Up to 22% of HIV-infected mothers gave birth after diagnosis. There is no cure for HIV.
  
  
• Other high-risk occupations require the use of safety devices to protect workers. Consider the use of hard hats in the construction industry, protective goggles and gloves in the steel-working industry, or seat belts in automobiles. The use of all of these safety devices has proven results. Healthcare workers deserve proven protection from occupational risk also.
  
  
• Many states have legislated the use of safety devices on hollow bore needles used to access vessels and draw blood, and this trend is gaining speed.
  
  
• The federal government has legislated this movement toward safety.
  
  
• Worker’s compensation statistics show using safety devices in the workplace decreases occupational injuries.
  
  
• Worker’s compensation payouts are finite for on the job injuries. Healthcare expenses after acquiring a bloodborne disease are not finite.
  
  
• Your job should not cost you your life!