News Reports

Chlorhexidine Partners Network Debuts
Organization Focuses on Antiseptic's Role in Patient Safety and Preventing Infections

FRANKLIN, Tenn. and READING, Pa. — Two leading makers of infection control technology for vascular access have united to form the Chlorhexidine Partners Network. Other patient safety- dedicated companies are expected to join the network soon. The founders of the network are RyMed Technologies and Arrow International, Inc., a subsidiary of Teleflex Incorporated.

The network was formed to educate hospital-based infection control professionals about the infection prevention benefits of chlorhexidine, which is a broad-spectrum antiseptic, including chlorhexidine-related best practices for preventing infections.

"An example of chlorhexidine's value is that it provides an extra measure of infection prevention in an antimicrobial-impregnated IV connector," said Paul Blackburn, RyMed's Senior Marketing Director. "In particular, it is more effective than silver alone in killing pathogens associated with bloodstream infections1. This efficacy informed the design of our InVision-Plus CS® with Neutral Advantage technology, the only IV connector that has a septum impregnated with both chlorhexidine and silver."

Said Kathy Conner, the Vice President of Marketing for Arrow, "Our company has been at the forefront of infection protection since the early 1990s, when we introduced the ARROW CVC with Arrowg+ard® technology, central venous catheters utilizing chlorhexidine. Today, we continue to expand the use of chlorhexidine to our ARROW PICCs with Chlorag+ard technology, which is both antimicrobial and antithrombogenic. We believe that the wider use of chlorhexidine will inevitably result in fewer hospital-acquired infections, which would have tremendous relevance for improved patient safety. It would also mean lower infection-related expenses for hospitals, including fewer outlays for unreimbursed care."

The Chlorhexidine Partners Network debuted with a presentation by Keith Kaye, M.D., MPH, on the benefits of chlorhexidine, presented at the 2012 annual conference of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). Sponsors of the talk were RyMed, Teleflex and Ethicon, a Johnson & Johnson company.

The network's scope will include educational efforts and a website, www.chlorhexidinefacts.com, which will launch later this year, to create awareness of chlorhexidine's role in protecting patients from infection.

Chlorhexidine is a widely used antiseptic for numerous applications in medicine, dentistry, and household use and is the gold standard for several of those applications2. It is effective against both Gram-positive and Gram?negative bacteria and fungi3. It has both bactericidal and bacteriostatic mechanisms of action, depending on concentration4. Its mechanism of action is membrane disruption5. Chlorhexidine has minimal risk for development of resistance6.

Common uses include:
  • Impregnation of medical devices. For example, central line catheters and needleless IV connectors to prevent bacterial colonization and infection.
  • Topical applications. For example, surgical scrubs; pre-operative skin preparations; surgical hand washes; general medical hand washes; patient bathing to prevent surgical site infection (SSI); and catheter site dressings to prevent central line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs).
  • Ventilator oral care. For example, oral care bundles including chlorhexidine to reduce ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and ventilator-associated events (VAEs).
  • Dental Care. For example, mouthwashes to reduce the microbial count and plaque.

RyMed Technologies manufactures needleless IV connectors including the InVision-Plus CS® with Neutral Advantage technology, the only IV connector of its kind with a chlorhexidine and silver-impregnated septum.

Arrow manufactures a range of vascular access catheters impregnated with chlorhexidine-based technologies. The most notable are the Arrow® PICC with Chlorag+ard technology, the world's only chlorhexidine-based antimicrobial and antithrombogenic PICC, and the ARROW CVC with Arrowg+ard® Technology which utilizes chlorhexidine and silver sulfadiazine.

Resources:
  1. Chernecky, C., Waller, J., Macklin, D., Caillouet, B., "Comparative Effectiveness of Intravenous Connectors." Poster presented at the 2010 State of the Science Congress on Nursing Research in Washington, D.C.; Sept. 27-29, 2010.
  2. Rohrer, N., Widmer, A.F., Waltimo, T., Kulik, E.M., Weiger, R., Filipuzzi-Jenny, E., Walter, C., "Antimicrobial Efficacy of 3 Oral Antiseptics Containing Octenidine, Polyhexamethylene Biguanide, or Citroxx: Can Chlorhexidine Be Replaced?" Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. July, 2010. Vol. 31, No. 7. pp. 733-9.
  3. Kõljalg, S,, Naaber, P,, Mikelsaar, M., "Antibiotic Resistance as an Indicator of Bacterial Chlorhexidine Susceptibility."Journal of Hospital Infection. June, 2002. Vol. 51, No. 2. pp. 106-13.
  4. Kuyyakanond, T., Quesnel, L.B., Selkirk, S., Poole, S., "The Mechanism of Action of Chlorhexidine." FEMS Microbiology Letters, 1992. Vol. 79, Nos. 1—3. pp. 211—215.
  5. Ibid.
  6. Genuit, T., Bochicchio, G., Napolitano, L.M., McCarter, R.J., Roghman, M., "Prophylactic Chlorhexidine Oral Rinse Decreases Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in Surgical ICU Patients." Surgical Infections. 2001. Vol. 2, No. 1. pp. 5-18.
About RyMed Technologies, Inc.

Founded in 1994, RyMed Technologies, Inc. specializes in the development and marketing of innovative safety products in the field of intravenous catheter care management. The company's products are designed to help reduce catheter occlusions, catheter-related infections, and biofilm development commonly associated with vascular access devices. More than 10 years of research and development have gone into the InVision-Plus® product line. Numerous studies regarding the efficacy of the InVision-Plus® Needleless IV Connector have been published in the last six years -- which is particularly important in light of the growing incidence of CLABSIs.

For more information on the product and published studies, access www.rymedtech.com or call (615) 790-8093. The company is headquartered in Franklin, Tenn.

About Teleflex Incorporated

Teleflex is a leading global provider of specialty medical devices for a range of procedures in critical care and surgery. Our mission is to provide solutions that enable healthcare providers to improve outcomes and enhance patient and provider safety. Headquartered in Limerick, Pa., Teleflex employs approximately 11,200 people worldwide and serves healthcare providers in more than 130 countries. Additional information about Teleflex can be obtained from the company's website at www.teleflex.com.

For detailed information, see teleflex.com
TELEFLEX MEDICAL
PO Box 12600
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
Toll Free 866.246.6990
Phone 919.544.8000
Intl 919.433.8088

Forward-Looking Statements

Any statements contained in this press release that do not describe historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on our management's current beliefs and expectations, but are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances, which may cause actual results or company actions to differ materially from what is expressed or implied by these statements. These risks and uncertainties are identified and described in more detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K.

ARROW, Arrowg+ard, Chlorag+ard and Teleflex are trademarks or registered trademarks of Teleflex Incorporated.