Recent surveys have shown that traditional vial-to-syringe technique is one of the riskiest modes of occupational exposure to hazardous drugs. Vial over-pressurization can lead to spraying and leakage. These sprays and spills are frequently unnoticed, which may result in exposure of contaminated finished products to staff and patients in healthcare centers.

Closed System Drug Transfer Devices are special protective devices, designed to reduce the risk of occupational exposure. They provide a safer system for administrators to reconstitute and transfer hazardous drugs from manufacturers drug container to the patient specific equipment while operating patients. These have closed cabinets which prevent spills, leakages during the preparation, administration and disposal of these drugs.

Various types of drug transfer devices have already entered into the market and have made success in delivering effective results. They include a complete line of closed, vial and bag access products for safe preparation, transfer and administration of hazardous substances. They also assure protection through the entire spectrum of hazardous drug delivery.

Genie, designed by ICU Medical System is a closed, needle-free, vial-access device that automatically equalizes vial pressure. When the desired amount of drug is taken out from vial, the genie balloon automatically inflate to equalize the pressure thereby reducing aerosols, vapors and leaks caused by pressurization of vials. Similar systems having dual-venting feature to enhance the equalization of vial pressure and automatically self-seals when disconnected, have been already designed.

There are various guidelines on the effective way of usage of these devices, which must be followed by nurses and practioners in healthcare centers. These devices should always be used with in a ventilated cabinet while following appropriate personal protective equipment and work practices. Staff members should be properly instructed and observed regularly while using these devices. In addition, system failure reports should be immediately reported by all users including pharmacy and nursing, to the manufacturer.

Presently, use of Closed System Drug Transfer Devices has been the strategy employed by healthcare centers, to minimize the risk of exposure to hazardous drugs. However, the consistent and proper usage of these systems is paramount in ensuring containment.

Medical Myth #1: “There is nothing wrong with modern medicine”

Summary: You believe there is little room for improvement in modern medicine and that conventional healthcare is at the best it can be. You feel that if there were other possibilities or solutions your doctor would know

Let’s face it, the real reason you’re reading this article is because you want to know how you can get results, either for your own personal problem or for your family, friends or patients. For every illness you want a cure and you want it now. You want to be strong, agile and full of energy because it’s your birthright.

The fact that you’re here tells me you’re probably dissatisfied with what conventional medicine, and maybe even complementary and alternative medicine, has to offer us. It is critical to note that there are obviously many situations in which the medical profession save lives. This is undeniable. If I were to break my leg or start to feel unwell I would be one of the first to get straight down to A&E or consult with my GP.

However, this doesn’t mean that we can’t examine our outlook on disease and question what goes on within the medical community, especially when it concerns what for many people is the most important thing in life; our health and the health of our loved ones.

But how many of us actually do? Seeing as you have taken the time to read this I believe you may be one of the few.

Time and time again I come across people who are sick and tired of the expensive chemical pill-popping culture which for the most part, merely masks the symptoms we experience and ends up creating more (and often worse) problems down the road.

Then there are the side effects. When side effects are so common that people expect them you cannot help but wonder: “Are these side effects or are they actually some of the main effects, if not the main effects?” In many cases the term ’side effects’ really means “the price you have to pay to get rid of your original symptoms”

‘Magic pills’ do not exist and yet it seems that this is what many of us believe. We live in hope that the media will one day announce that the miracle cures we’ve all been waiting for have finally been discovered! Then all we have to do is swallow a pill or get an injection and we can be done with these dreadful diseases once and for all!

We optimistically hope for this to happen because we learn to believe that the drugs we already do have ‘cure’ our diseases. But is this the case or not? Lets quickly look a couple of examples…

Belief: “Pain killers and paracetamols cure your pain and headaches”

Reality: They disable and shut down parts of your central nervous system (’CNS’) so you can no longer sense or feel the pain. Whilst this can be handy in some situations, ignoring something that your body is trying to bring to your attention does not happen without consequences. It’s like getting a computer virus and disconnecting the monitor… you can’t see it anymore but it’s still there.

Belief: “Prescribed medication for acute diarrhoea cures your diarrhea”

Reality: In a nutshell, this treatment works merely by blocking up your digestive system

Instances such as these commonplace. Do surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy ‘cure’ cancer? No, the cancer is cut out and removed through invasive surgery or targeted with deadly radiation and chemicals which affects the growing cells of your entire body (the origin of chemotherapy, by the way, was on the battlefield of World War I and went under the name of mustard gas!)

What am I getting at here? The purpose of this article is to help you move from a negative view of disease to a positive one so I won’t linger on this topic, nonetheless it’s plain to see that our health is suffering and modern medicine is struggling to provide us with long term answers that don’t do us any harm in the process.

And if you disagree or are skeptical of this medical myth allow me a final question before we move on…

Do you know what the number one cause of death is today?

If you answered cancer or heart disease you’d be close. Cancer affects 6-7 Million people worldwide and is on the increase according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Heart disease is on the rise too and is the second most prevalent illness after the number one biggest killer which is:…

– Medical intervention –

And yes you did read that correctly, medical intervention (comprising of: adverse reactions, unnecessary treatment, incorrectly prescribed medication and correctly prescribed medication) is, and has been for several years now, the number one cause of death in developed countries. Specific figures are rarely mentioned but if one digs deep enough they can be found

“Do what you’ve always done and you get what you’ve always got”

Clearly, something isn’t right. With the old adage above in mind and as a result of the growing rate at which information is being created and transmitted; more and more of us are now looking for something else, a different explanation about disease and what we can do about it.

“When the number one killer in a society is the healthcare system, then, that system has no excuse except to address its own urgent shortcomings. It’s a failed system in need of immediate attention - beginning at its very foundations”

- Martin Feldman MD et al

It has been proven through an FDA-approved clinical trial that treating heart attack patients with adult stem cells is safe and seems to repair damaged heart tissue. The results of this study, which was conducted by Joshua M. Hare, M.D. and director of the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and sponsored by Osiris Therapeutics of Columbia, Maryland, were published in the December 8th issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The first phase of the trial intended to prove the safety and efficacy of injecting a formulation of adult mesenchymal stem cells, Prochymal, in patients right after they suffered a heart attack, to diminish the damage to the heart muscle. The sample consisted of 53 patients who had suffered a heart attack between one to ten days before. They were randomized to one of three doses of SCs, each dose compared with placebo. After six months, researchers analyzed the serious side effects that were related to the treatment and used echocardiography to measure the efficacy.

The study discovered that the patients treated with SCs presented fewer side effects like cardiac arrhythmias and showed important improvements in their heart, lung, and global functions. According to Dr. Hare, the echocardiography showed better heart function, especially in patients with lots of cardiac damage. Up to date, damaged cardiac tissue cannot be repaired through any known scientific method, and close to a million United States’ citizens suffer heart attacks each year.

These results will put to rest some of the discussions in regards to clinical stem cell research for heart disease. Although many think that it is too soon to test stem cells in patients, this study has proven the value of exact and controlled clinical trials. The base for novel cell heart therapies has been established.

This trial is the point of reference to advance along this SC path. There are several advantages to mesenchymal stem cells as cell-based therapy; among these are:

- Can be taken from donors that are genetically different

- Are easy to prepare

- Tend to gather around injured spots

It is certainly exciting to imagine what is ahead. Each study will provide new information, new teachings, and new possibilities for the use of adult SC therapies to treat cardiac patients.

Contact your pharmaceutical consultancy firm for more information on stem cell research and the promising future it presents.

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