On March 6 just under 100 dedicated clinicians joined us for the inaugural AVATAR State of the Art in Vascular Access Management seminar, held at Rydges Parramatta.  They were a mixed bunch with vascular access clinicians being the largest group (32%), followed by critical care (18%), inpatient services (11%), cancer services (10%) and infection prevention (9%), with the balance made up of several other speciality groups. This eclectic mix made for great conversations as participa...

Most patients need at least one peripheral intravenous catheter (PIVC) during their hospital stay for IV fluids and medications, blood products or nutrition. PIVC complications are common, but they can be prevented or minimised by routine assessment. This article discusses the key points of PIVC assessment. Is it needed? Does the patient need this PIVC? Many PIVCs are left in without orders for IV fluids or medications (Limm et al, 2013; New et al., 2014). Others are never used at ...

Central venous access devices (CVADs) provide access to the greater vascular system to administer therapy that is contraindicated to be given peripherally, for longer term treatment, and for venous monitoring and blood sampling. As clinicians, we come across these devices on a daily basis. We also see CVAD complications and failures, such as bloodstream infections, obstruction, thrombosis, catheter migrations, and others. Effective interventions can prevent many of these complications....

Note: This blog presents the personal opinion and experience of the author, and the practices described here are not an endorsement by the AVATAR Group.   Being the caregiver of a child with a central line is a full-time job. After 5 years, I have become more confident with my skills but the worry is still constant. And paralyzing fear is continually just below the surface. I attended a lecture where Jack LeDonne, MD said, "The average central line is in for 6 days.&q...

  The Alliance for Vascular Access Teaching and Research (AVATAR) Group welcomes Visiting Research Fellow, Maria Paula de Oliveira Pires, to Brisbane. Maria Paula is presently a PhD candidate of the Nursing Graduate Program at the Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP-Brazil). Her doctoral research project, "Effect of infusion devices in hemolysis biomarkers levels of warmed red blood cells", is being supervised by Prof Mavilde L.G. Pedreira, RN, PhD, wit...

By Amanda Ullman, Tricia Kleidon, Anna Dean and the Paediatric Vascular Assessment and Management Service, Lady Cilento Children's Hospital, Brisbane. This blog post was originally published in Don't Forget the Bubbles! http://dontforgetthebubbles.com/cvads-a-survival-guide/ We all love reliability. Central venous access devices (CVADs) are everywhere - across disciplines and departments, and we just want them to work reliably, without complication. But every day, some...

https://www.acn.edu.au/vascular-access-devices-care-and-concerns This short course is conducted over one day and is equivalent to 7 continuing professional development (CPD) hours. Please note that the program is subject to change. This short course is designed for nurses to update their knowledge on the care and management of vascular access devices. The program will present evidence-based practice guidelines for assessing and managing peripheral catheters, central venous catheters (...

Join us on Monday 6th March, 08:45 am (Australian Eastern Daylight Time) for live video streaming of the Seminar. AVATAR State of the Art Seminar on Vascular Access With presentations by Professor Claire Rickard, Professor Marie Cooke, Dr Evan Alexandrou, Dr Amanda Ullman, Tricia Kleidon, and Kerrie Curtis, this promises to be a broad and engaging program for all clinicians interested in vascular access. Please, click here for full program. The seminar presentations will al...

REGISTER HERE   Please, click here for full program. ...

I am very happy to share with you the photographs of reception of the IV dressing materials our hospital in Nyankunde, Beni, Democratic Republic of the Congo, has received from Griffith University of Brisbane, Australia, with the support of Prof Claire Rickard and the AVATAR Group. These materials will help to prevent peripheral catheter related infection and improve the healthcare in our hospital. Prof Rickard and her team are permanently doing their best  to improve the healthcare...