ivWatch IV Monitoring Technology Approved for NHS Supply Chain
ivWatch's continuous IV site monitoring system is now available through the UK NHS Supply Chain. This streamlines procurement for NHS Trusts seeking to reduce IV infiltration and extravasation harm.
Newport News, Va. and London – ivWatch, a company focused on IV safety, announced its continuous IV site monitoring system has been accepted into the NHS Supply Chain Innovation Products pathway. This offers UK healthcare organizations a compliant and expedited route to acquire the technology.
The system provides continuous, non-invasive monitoring of tissue surrounding peripheral IV insertion sites. Utilizing patented optical sensing technology and a predictive algorithm, it is designed to detect early signs of IV infiltration and extravasation – complications where IV fluids leak into surrounding tissues, potentially causing pain, tissue damage, and treatment delays.
Inclusion in the NHS Supply Chain pathway is intended to simplify the adoption of clinically proven technologies that address patient safety challenges. For NHS Trusts, this means a readily available solution to proactively manage IV infiltration and extravasation risks, bypassing lengthy procurement hurdles. This marks a significant step in a national initiative to improve access to peripheral IV site monitoring technology across England.
Andrew Barton, Nurse Consultant in IV Therapy and Vascular Access at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust and Chairman of the National Infusion and Vascular Access Society (NIVAS), has championed ivWatch's implementation in UK clinical settings. A study overseen by Barton indicated that the ivWatch system detected infiltration and extravasation events earlier than intermittent visual observation alone, identifying 100% of events before they were visually detectable by clinicians. Units using ivWatch over the past two years have reported no IV extravasation injuries.