Ivera Medical Called to Washington to Share Solution for Hospital Acquired Bloodstream Infections

    SAN DIEGO, CA, November 02, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- On Tuesday morning, David Lloyd, Sr. Vice President of Sales for Ivera Medical Corporation addressed a roundtable meeting of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Health entitled "Innovative Private Sector Technologies to Improve Patient Safety." Representing one of only six companies addressing the committee at the invitation of Chairwoman Ann Marie Buerkle, Lloyd shared the successes achieved by hospitals using Curos Port Protectors to prevent catheter related blood stream infections, including an 86 percent reduction of central line-associated bloodstream infections in a bone marrow oncology unit at West Virginia University Hospitals.

"What we invented is a simple product--a cap with alcohol in it. Every nurse that sees it says 'Why didn't I think of this?'" said Lloyd. "But this simple cap is very powerful defense against infection. It keeps needleless IV connectors clean and disinfected for up to a week with a five-log kill after the first five minutes of application."

In addition to Ivera Medical, the Committee invited representatives from the Department of Veterans Affairs and several Veterans Service Organizations, including Am Vets, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. This group of stakeholders was brought together for their ability to help address HAIs--an issue that affects one out of every 20 patients, leading to prolonged recovery, unnecessary health care costs, and in some cases, death. Bloodstream infections are among the most common and lethal of all HAIs and it is estimated that approximately 87 percent of bloodstream infections are associated with the presence of an I.V. device. Current practice requires nurses to manually scrub the hub of these devices with disinfection wipes for 15-30 seconds each time they access the port. Lloyd pointed out, "What we've learned is that sometimes it's done very well and, sometimes, it's not done well or at all."

Ivera offers Curos Port Protectors in multiple dispensing options that make it easy for nurses to keep patient lines clean. "You can give a nurse a great tool but if she doesn't use it properly, who cares? We invented the Curos Strip to hang the caps by the IV bag --you just peel one off when you need it. When made immediately available at the point of care, the caps are used correctly."

When asked about the Roundtable, Lloyd was encouraged: "Chairwoman Ann Marie Buerkle and the Committee members show a sincere interest in securing the best possible care for our veterans. We've introduced port protectors to The Bethesda Naval Hospital, The Naval Medical Center of San Diego, and more than two dozen VA Medical Centers with the intent of sparing our servicemen and women from dangerous preventable infections and controlling the cost of caring for our troops and at the same time, it saves the hospital substantial costs."

About Ivera Medical Corporation
Ivera Medical Corporation is focused on the design, development, manufacture, marketing and sale of products that help healthcare providers reduce facility-acquired patient infections. Curos, manufactured in Carlsbad, CA, is the first disinfecting cap to be marketed in the U.S. and has received FDA's 510(k) market clearance. For more information about Curos and Ivera Medical, visit the website at www.iveramed.com.

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