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Taxol® has been proven to break down polyurethane catheters.

 

False

 

Taxol ® (paclitaxel) has been shown to leach the toxic plasticizer di-2-ethylhexylphthalate (DEHP) from tubing made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Arrow International central venous catheters, however, are made of polyurethane, not PVC. They contain zero DEHP, and are compatible with Taxol.

 

A study published in Hospital Pharmacy confirms this. The authors detected no absorption of paclitaxel by the polyurethane, and no release of any material from the catheter matrix. (1)

 

All told, ARROWg +ard Blue PLUS ® catheters are proven to be compatible with over 82 of the most common parenteral medications. (2)

 

REFERENCES:

(1) Zhang, Y.P., Trissel, L.A., Xu, Q.A., “Paclitaxel Compatibility With a Triple-Lumen Polyurethane Central Catheter.” Hospital Pharmacy, May 1998, Vol. 33, No.5, pp. 547–551.

 

(2) Xu, Q.A., Zhang, Y.P., Trissel, L.A., Gilbert, D.L. “Compatibility of 82 Drugs With ARROWg + ard Blue Plus ® Catheters.” Presented at the 39th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC), San Francisco, CA, September 26–28, 1999.

 

Taxol ® is a registered trademark of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.

 

 

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 5 million lives campaign

The 5 Million Lives Campaign is a voluntary initiative to protect patients from five million incidents of medical harm over the next two years (December 2006 – December 2008).

 

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Recommendations of CDC and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee