BIOPATCH

Are you speaking of the antimicrobial disk that goes under a PICC line drsg. at the insertion site? If so, I would ask the IVT nurses on the IV site as they would know best practice, pros and cons. Best of luck.

The biopatch is impregnated with Chlorhexidine (CHG) that when applied properly will release CHG for one week. It can also be used for other medical devices such as orthpedic pins. In recent studies with its use on all types of central lines and this includes PICC lines...there was a 60 percent reduction in catheter related blood stream infections...THAT is a huge and the main benefit. One potential source of infection has always been the patient's own skin...that is why perform a dressing change and that is why we now use maximum barrier precautions during the insertion...these are all extrinsic sources of infection. Intrinsic would be introduced into the IV system such as improper or no cap care. To prevent infections you have to attack all the causes. Honestly, the only drawback to not using a biopatch would be if the patient had a hypersensitivity to the product. Some may cite the price as a drawback but it costs so much more to treat a CRBSI, upwards to $30,000. We got our price way down by putting it in a CVC kit instead of purchasing seperately.