SwabCap™, the revolutionary luer access valve disinfection cap, and Excelsior's ZR™ Flush Syringes are now available in one package called SwabKIT. The packaging combines a SwabCap with a 10 mL ZR Pre-filled Saline Flush Syringe.


ZR Flush Syringes are designed to minimize syringe-generated reflux, which is one of the causes of catheter occlusions, a complication of long-term catheter use.

There's more info on SwabKIT here.

Health Canada has granted a medical license to Excelsior Medical for its new pre-filled catheter lock syringe. The syringe contains the first commercially available heparin replacement solution that combines 4% Sodium Citrate and 30% Ethanol in water for injection.
 
The solution has similar anticoagulant properties to heparin so it helps maintain catheter patency without the possible negative side affects. The new Excelsior solution has a major advantage over heparin, because it eliminates many of the potentially dangerous complications associated with heparin. 
 
Until now, there have been no commercial products containing the 4% Sodium Citrate/30% Ethanol solution. Hospitals have had to request that small batches of the solution be prepared by their pharmacy, using a very labor intensive process.
 
The product is not approved for sale in the United States.

At the annual meeting of the Association for Vascular Access (AVA), three nationally known experts commented on new guidelines for disinfecting IV catheters. Explaining how to meet the new requirements were Gregory Schears, MD, Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, BC, CRNI, and the JC's Kelly Fugate, ND, RN. Read about the symposium.
 
Healthcare facilities that adopt SwabCap will have a distinct advantage in complying with the new requirement. It requires that hospitals use a standardized protocol to disinfect luer access valves (IV access ports). Use of SwabCap verifies compliance with the required protocol. If a single-use SwabCap is on the valve, it demonstrates the disinfection protocol has been followed.
Dr. Schears