The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has opened consultation on a draft guidance about a device designed to help healthcare professionals correctly place peripherally inserted central catheters
(PICCs).
The draft guidance supports using the Sherlock 3CG Tip Confirmation System for placing PICCs.
The standard procedure for placing PICCs is blind insertion, followed by a chest X-ray to check the catheter’s position.
In some cases, fluoroscopy is used instead of standard X-ray to assist with positioning the PICC when placing it proves difficult.
The Sherlock system, on the other hand, uses magnetic and electrocardiographic real-time tracking of a PICC to enable the person placing the catheter to detect and correct any error in how the tip is positioned.
The device’s manufacturer, C.R. Bard, says the Sherlock System eliminates the need for the patient to have an X-ray, thus preventing delays in treatment or monitoring.
“Using the technology also increases staff and patient confidence of the accuracy of the procedure during catheter insertion,” said Professor Carole Longson, director of the NICE centre for health technology evaluation.
The cost of the Sherlock 3CG TCS is stated in the manufacturer’s submission as £9990 (excluding value-added tax). The cost of consumables associated with each insertion is £189.91. Maintenance costs associated with the technology are £595 per year.
Across the whole population in which PICCs are placed, the cost of using the Sherlock system is similar to blind insertion followed by X-ray, but it can save up to £106 per patient in specific clinical situations.
In intensive care, where PICCs are more likely to be placed incorrectly using blind insertion, the savings from using the Sherlock system and a confirmatory X-ray are estimated at around £41 per patient, compared with blind insertion and standard X-ray. (In intensive care settings, staff members sometimes initially use Sherlock with confirmatory X-ray while they are becoming accustomed to the system.)
For more information on the system, see the draft guidance consultation. It is open for public comment until December 9. {HT_DN}