Baxa to Sponsor Los Angeles Symposium on Environmental Exposure and Biological Uptake of Antineoplastics
Baxa Corporation is sponsoring a dinner symposium for pharmacy and nursing professionals to discuss the findings in a recent study from the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy (AJHP). The symposium will be held Tuesday, May 18th at the W hotel in Los Angeles, CA. The presenter, Jim Jorgenson, RPh, is Director of Pharmacy for the Huntsman Cancer Institute, where the study took place.
Englewood, CO (PRWEB) May 12, 2004 -- Baxa Corporation is sponsoring a dinner
symposium for pharmacy and nursing professionals to discuss the findings in a
recent study from the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy (AJHP). The
symposium will be held Tuesday, May 18th at the W hotel in Los Angeles,
CA.
The symposium presents the findings from the study, entitled "Using a
Closed-System Protective Device to Reduce Personnel Exposure to Antineoplastic
Agents," on biological uptake of cyclophosphamide and ifosfamide in infusion
center pharmacy and nursing staff in a newly built cancer center at the
University of Utah. The presenter, Jim Jorgenson, RPh, is Director of Pharmacy
for the Huntsman Cancer Institute, where the study took place.
Study data
documented that standard worker precautions and safe handling guidelines were
not effective in preventing environmental exposure and subsequent uptake of the
chemotherapy drugs in the healthcare workers tested. These findings have been
supported in a NIOSH Alert entitled, "Preventing Occupational Exposures to
Antineoplastic and other Hazardous Drugs in Healthcare Settings" published last
month to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Web site.
The clinicians
who authored the study demonstrated biological uptake of the two drugs tested
through urine studies with pharmacy and nursing personnel. Additionally, wipe
samples of selected facility and equipment surfaces yielded positive results for
all samples.
Following these baseline tests, the PhaSeal closed-loop drug
containment system was implemented in the chemotherapy infusion center, while
workers continued the preparation and administration safeguards already in use.
Six months following the adoption of the PhaSeal System, the presence of the two
drugs originally detected in urine samples from center personnel had been
reduced to undetectable levels. The study also showed that drug contamination
initially detected on infusion center surfaces was significantly reduced
following implementation of the PhaSeal System.
The complimentary
symposium will be held Tuesday, May 18th at the W hotel of Los Angeles, CA,
beginning at 5:30 PM. Participants are eligible for one credit hour of
Continuing Education (CEU).
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 http://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/2004/5/prweb125129.htm