PRESS RELEASE
THE DARK REPORT
21806 Briarcliff Dr.
Spicewood, TX 78669
512-264-7103 o
512-264-0969 f
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Chris Garcia
chris@darkreport.com
AUSTIN, Texas (July 18, 2019) – As a result of contamination of blood specimens at the time of collection, 35% to 50% of positive blood culture results indicating sepsis are actually false positive. These false positive results confound clinical decisions regarding antibiotic therapy, including selection and de-escalation of broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment. The result is that patients are often treated with unnecessary antibiotics, with attendant risks of secondary infection such as C. difficile, MDROs, and other antibiotic-associated complications.
This significant issue impacts every clinical laboratory, adding unnecessary lab workflow burden and incurring millions of dollars of avoidable costs each year. Typical interventions such as ongoing training and education cannot effectively address blood culture contamination issues, and have shown only modest and unsustainable reduction in contamination rates. But now, there is evidence of an intervention that can address this challenge, with five peer-reviewed studies along with eight clinical abstracts presented at major national medical society conferences that support the positive clinical and economic impact of the Steripath® Initial Specimen Diversion Device®. These studies have shown a reduction in false positive blood cultures up to 92%, sustained blood culture contamination rates as low as 0.2%, positive predictive value as high as 97%, and reduction in vancomycin days of therapy as much as 37%.
Some clinicians continue to believe that the 3% national benchmark for blood culture contamination is sufficient for patients and their care providers. To demonstrate why this is not the case, and to provide laboratory leaders with a superior understanding of the scale of the blood culture contamination problem and the profound impact it has on patient care and lab costs—as well as present best practices and evidence-based solutions to efficiently and effectively impact this serious issue—Dark Daily is hosting an informative FREE webinar sponsored by Magnolia Medical Technologies entitled “Evidence-Based Technology to Reduce Blood Culture Contamination, Improve Patient Care and Reduce Costs in Your Clinical Lab or Hospital,” taking place Tuesday, July 23, 2019, at 1 pm EDT.
The expert presenter of this webinar is Dennis J. Ernst, MT(ASCP), NCPT (NCCT), Director of The Center for Phlebotomy Education in Mio, MI. “We are excited to be partnering with Magnolia Medical to address one of the biggest problems plaguing our healthcare system today,” stated Ernst, Founding Director of the Center. “Steripath Gen2 is an evidence-based technology solution to a problem many thought could never be solved. This training and educational program effectively demonstrates the clinically proven combination of technique and technology to empower laboratory staff to seize control of blood culture contamination rates and improve the lives of over a million people each year, all while saving the healthcare system billions of dollars.”
During the 60-minute session, webinar participants will learn:
- The downstream impact of false-positive blood cultures, with a focus on antimicrobial stewardship in this era of antibiotic resistance
- Why traditional intervention methods that have been attempted have had only limited effectiveness
- Best practices to dramatically reduce blood culture contamination
- Case study evidence of sustained reductions in blood culture contamination, and the resulting direct and indirect clinical and economic significance
For more information about “Evidence-Based Technology to Reduce Blood Culture Contamination, Improve Patient Care and Reduce Costs in Your Clinical Lab or Hospital,” click here. You may also contact Chris Garcia at 512-264-7103.
About MAGNOLIA MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES
Magnolia Medical Technologies is a medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets innovative blood and bodily fluid collection devices to facilitate significant improvements in the accuracy, consistency, and predictability of critical laboratory tests.
Decades of research show that false positive and false negative test results routinely lead to inappropriate and unnecessary treatments. Often times, these misdiagnoses increase the use of powerful antibiotics which are associated with complications and extended patient length of stay as well as risk for hospital-acquired-infections and conditions.
Through groundbreaking device design, Magnolia Medical Technologies has become a provider ally and patient advocate. Our products address the human errors that cause preventable inaccurate test results, improving patient safety and hospital care.
We are unrelenting in our pursuit to improve current ‘standards of care’- constantly researching, testing and reinventing conventional processes in order to make the world of healthcare a better place.
-end-
