cpr4life

Wow. This is perfect! Thank you so much for the reference. I will look at our hospital library to see if I can get the article for free. The JAVA wants $10 for the one article which it is worth to me if my Mom's provider would do Cathflo in the home! I know Cathflo is safe- it's a naturally occuring enzyme in our bodies but changing the policies of a huge institution such as Kaiser is another story! Again, thanks a million. I searched google last night and found a lot of articles about PWO and Activase but none specific to the home care setting!

A private agency is being looked into. It's definitely a P&P issue. It's nice to hear you've never had any problems giving it in the home! We need more Hm Health Agencies to get the training and begin rewriting their policies! Thanks.

Are any of you giving Cathflo in the home setting? I believe it is safe. Do you? If you are giving it in the home, have you had any problems/complications? My mom is receiving PICC infusion of Vanco and has had Persistent Withdrawl Occlusion (PWO) twice in three weeks. Her Home Health RN's won't give Cathflo in the home setting due to facility policies. I must drag Mom into the hospital and wait in ER or at the infusion center waiting room (she is unwelcome in the infusion center due to a MRSA osteomyelitis) for them to treat with Cathflo. She's very elderly and this is hard on her. (It's also time consuming for me and frustrating because I give Cathflo at work all the time!) I'm an RN and know that Cathflo is a routine part of PICC maintanance. Everything I've read so far leads me to believe that the benefits of giving Cathflo outweigh the risks. (I read that there are very few cases of side effects.) I believe it's a case of "we've never done that therefore we don't do it". Trouble is it's my Mom that suffers while we wait for our provider to evolve their home nursing services! Any help is appreciated!