THE I+12 INNOVATION UNIT OBTAINS THE PATENT FOR THIS TOOL
Dr. Francisco López Medrano, from the Infectious Diseases Unit of the Internal Medicine Department of the Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, has invented an original device that attaches to the peripheral venous catheter, through which intravenous fluids, medicines or blood is administered, and facilitates its insertion into the patient under aseptic conditions. The device -12CLIP®-, which has already been patented, is considered an innovative initiative in the healthcare sector, as it is capable of minimising the number of potentially serious infections that occur worldwide associated with this type of catheter.
12CLIP® is the result of an ambitious project of the Infectious Diseases Unit that began in 2016 with the outline of an initial prototype that has been refined over time to achieve a tool that adapts to the catheter without the need to manipulate the proximal area that is inserted into the vein. The adjustments made until the final model was achieved have made it possible for 12CLIP® to have a patent that allows the commercial or business development of the device to begin, thanks also to the collaboration of the Innovation Unit of the i+12 Research Institute of the Hospital 12 de Octubre.
The peripheral venous catheter is a very thin, flexible tube inserted into a vein in the forearm or hand and is the most widely used in medicine for the administration of intravenous treatments, approximately 1.2 billion times a year worldwide. The recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the insertion of this type of catheter require the use of non-sterile gloves, but simultaneously determine that it should be carried out using an “aseptic” technique.
According to Dr. López Medrano, both premises are incompatible, since handling the catheter in its proximal zone – the one in contact with the vein into which it is inserted – exposes it to bacteria that can cause from local infections and inflammation – phlebitis – to more serious complications – sepsis, endocarditis, abscesses – if these bacteria pass into the blood. For this reason, 12CLIP® represents a great advance, as it allows the catheter to be manipulated without the need to touch the proximal area with non-sterile gloves and, once placed in the patient, it is removed and the catheter is inserted into the vein, without sterility being lost at any time.
The benefit for patient health is unquestionable, not only because the infections resulting from this action would be considerably reduced, but also because the cost of these infections to the National Health System, estimated at 18,000 euros per episode of bacteraemia – the passage of bacteria into the bloodstream – would be reduced.
12CLIP®, an initiative recognised in the health sector
12CLIP® has been awarded by the Healthstart madri+d programme of the Fundación para el Conocimiento madri+d -Comunidad de Madrid- and the Plataforma de Innovación en Tecnologías Médicas y Sanitarias, promoted by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III -ITEMAS-, for being an innovative initiative in the health sector based on health technologies.