Following CMS Cuts to Reimbursement for Medical Errors, New Devices Aimed at Reducing Nosocomial Infecti...( WALTHAM Mass. July 22 /- ...),Health

WALTHAM, Mass., July 22 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Millennium Research Group (MRG), the global authority on medical technology market intelligence, the recent Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) cuts to reimbursement for hospital-acquired infections are resulting in adoption of antimicrobial-coated access devices, including dialysis catheters and central venous catheters (CVCs). MRG's US Markets for Vascular Access Devices 2009 report finds that usage of the antimicrobial-coated catheters will increase over the next five years as physicians take precautions against infections when using non-tunneled devices, which are placed directly into the vessel rather than buried under the skin.

A small portion of access catheters implanted in 2008 were equipped with antimicrobial coatings. However, this number of antimicrobial-coated CVC and dialysis catheter implantation procedures will rise at a compound annual growth rate of approximately 7% over the next five years as physicians recognize the ability of these coatings to combat the high risk of infection associated with non-tunneled catheters. The greater length and cuffed design of tunneled catheters provides a significant barrier to outside infection, whereas non-tunneled catheters are more susceptible to infection due to their design.

"The trend toward antimicrobial-coated catheters has been bolstered by CMS' April 2009 decision," says Stephanie LaBelle, Senior Analyst at MRG. "Although antimicrobial coatings were initially reserved for longer-indwelling CVCs and dialysis catheters, which are associated with higher risks of infection, 2009 saw the introduction of the first antimicrobial-coated peripherally inserted central venous catheter (PICC) from Cook Medical. The launch of the first antimicrobial PICC is the latest development in a more widespread trend that is exemplified by the rising popularity of antimicrobial-coated C
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