Catheter-related complications were the subject that came up most often at our booth during the National Conference in Palliative Care, held at Södra Berget in Sundsvall from 29 September to 1 October. Thank you to everyone who stopped by and gave us their time.
We have always held the view that palliative patients, regardless of disease stage, should not have to suffer complications from their access line. That is a matter of principle rather than a product argument, and these three days made it clearer to us.
What we heard on site
Several of the professionals we spoke to described the same pattern. The complications do occur, they increase clinical burden, they cause hospital admissions that would otherwise not have happened, and they mean suffering for the patient. None of them described it as an unsolved technical problem. They described it as a problem that receives too little attention.
Why it weighs more heavily in palliative care
An admission costs days that cannot be recovered. A new needle stick is one more procedure in a long line of procedures. A line that fails at home in the evening usually means a transfer to hospital, and for a patient at the end of life that can be the difference between being at home and not being at home.
That is why prevention counts differently here.
It was also clear that the knowledge exists but is unevenly distributed. Some of the professionals we spoke to had well developed routines on their unit. Others described doing their best without knowing what is actually recommended. That gap is worth closing, and it is easier to close than a great many other problems in healthcare.
Would you like to know more?
If you were unable to attend the conference and would like to learn more about how TauroLock™ and NutriLock™ solutions can be used in palliative care, contact us and we will arrange a training session at your clinic.
Get in touch at info@transcutan.com.
See you next year.