Baxa to Feature the PhaSeal(r) Closed System For Safe Handling of Hazardous Drugs at ASHP Summer Meeting in Las Vegas, NV
At the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Summer Meeting, Baxa Corporation is demonstrating the PhaSeal System - the only closed system for safe handling of antineoplastic and other hazardous drugs. The ASHP meeting, which continues through June 23rd, is sub-titled Learners & Leaders, indicating its focus on specific learning communities to advance the practical knowledge of pharmacy managers, staff and clinical pharmacists, clinical coordinators, students and technicians. Baxa Corporation markets its products specifically for this constituency, is a long-time ASHP supporter and has participated in their two annual meetings for many years.
Las Vegas, NV (PRWEB) June 21, 2004 -- At the American Society of
Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Summer Meeting, Baxa Corporation is
demonstrating the PhaSeal System - the only closed system for safe handling of
antineoplastic and other hazardous drugs. The ASHP meeting, which continues
through June 23rd, is sub-titled Learners & Leaders, indicating its focus on
specific learning communities to advance the practical knowledge of pharmacy
managers, staff and clinical pharmacists, clinical coordinators, students and
technicians. Baxa Corporation markets its products specifically for this
constituency, is a long-time ASHP supporter and has participated in their two
annual meetings for many years.
This year's meeting features an
educational track entitled, "A Practical Approach to Evidence-Based Medicine," a
good fit for Baxa Corporation's approach to product development. From its
beginning in 1975, the company has focused on designing products that offered
significant patient safety advantages. That safety focus continues with its
distribution of the PhaSeal System - the only system that has been documented to
reduce or eliminate human exposure to toxic hazards in the workplace.
The
PhaSeal System consists of a set of disposable containment devices that connect
the original drug vial, syringe and IV injection or infusion set together into a
completely sealed pathway. The system's double membrane prevents drug leakage
and keeps the connections dry. A built-in expansion chamber equalizes system
pressure to prevent the release of toxic aerosols and vapors during
reconstitution. Because PhaSeal is a closed system, hazardous drugs are
contained throughout the entire process of drug transfer, preparation,
transport, administration and disposal.
Discussions at the ASHP Meeting
are likely to include the risks of environmental and personnel contamination, in
that the meeting closely follows the March release by the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of an alert entitled, "Preventing
Occupational Exposures to Antineoplastic and other Hazardous Drugs in Healthcare
Settings." This Alert reviews the recent studies that have demonstrated
widespread environmental contamination by hazardous drugs in pharmacy
preparation and nursing administration areas, as well as the human uptake
studies and their results. Among the Alert's recommendations is the use of a
closed-system drug transfer device, such as PhaSeal to reduce the potential for
worker exposure.
Baxa Corporation is the exclusive US distributor of the
PhaSeal products for safe handling of hazardous drugs. These products are
currently available to promote workplace safety for pharmacy and oncology care
providers.
About Baxa Corporation
As a leading provider of devices and
systems for the preparation, handling, packaging, and administration of liquid
medications, Baxa manufactures and markets a wide range of healthcare products
for use in hospitals, critical care units and alternate-site pharmacies.
Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, Baxa has subsidiaries and sales offices in
Canada, the United Kingdom; Denmark, and Germany; and distribution partners
worldwide. Further information is available at www.baxa.com.
Click the
following link to view a presentation by Jim Jorgenson "Using a Closed System
Device to Reduce Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Drugs." Jorgenson is
Director of Pharmacy for the Huntsman Cancer Institute and Associate Dean for
Professional Affairs at the University of Utah:
http://www.isips.org/presentations/PhaSeal/player.html
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/6/prweb135214.htm