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SEE IF YOU CAN TELL CATHETER FACT FROM FICTION. From cost savings to Candida, Catheter Mythbusters tackles questions you face every day. To get Catheter Mythbusters FREE every month, sign up now!

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Silver-coated catheters are excellent at
preventing bloodstream infection.

False

No less an authority than Dennis G. Maki, MD, has gone on record as saying “… no study has shown that silver coatings reduce the risk of CRI.” (1)

Finding proof of the effectiveness of catheters impregnated with silver sulfadiazine and chlorhexidine is another matter.

In fact, since 1990 over 30 randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses and case-control studies have proven the efficacy of ARROWg⁺ard^® technology—and shown how ARROWg⁺ard can reduce infections and save institutions money. (2)

No other company’s catheter has such a strong track record and broad-spectrum activity.

References:
(1) Response to question from the audience regarding silver-coated catheters at the I.V. Conference, Oxford, England, March 2005.

(2) Veenstra, D.L., Saint, S., Saha, S., Lumley, T., Sullivan, S.D. “Cost-Effectiveness of Antiseptic-Impregnated Central Venous Catheters for the Prevention of Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infection,” Journal of the American Medical Association, January 20, 1999, Vol. 281, Issue 3, pp. 261–267.

Full bibliography available upon request.

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