UNC Health Blue Ridge among first to test new BD central line device

UNC Health Blue Ridge is among the first health systems in the country to evaluate a newly launched central line insertion device that its leaders say could make one of medicine’s most pressure-filled bedside procedures faster, simpler and safer for patients.

BD, or Becton, Dickinson and Company, announced April 29 the commercial launch of the BD CentroVena One Insertion System, which it describes as the first all-in-one central venous catheter insertion device on the market.

For Burke County readers, the local significance is clear: UNC Health Blue Ridge is already using the system as part of an initial clinical evaluation, putting Morganton-area clinicians near the front edge of a new medical technology aimed at reducing complications during central line placement.

Central venous catheters, often called central lines, are used in hospitals for critically ill patients who need medications, fluids or other treatment delivered quickly and reliably. BD said the procedure is performed millions of times each year in the United States, but the traditional process can be complicated and may require multiple component changes that can raise the risk of contamination, delays and injury.

According to the company, the new system combines several core parts of the procedure into one platform, including the introducer needle, syringe, guidewire and catheter. BD said that compared with the current standard of care, the device is designed to use 30% fewer steps and reduce insertion time by 50%.

The company also said the system is intended to reduce touchpoints during catheter insertion, lower contamination risk and help protect against insertion-related complications, including pneumothorax, arterial injury, air or guidewire embolism, bloodstream infections and needlestick injuries.

At UNC Health Blue Ridge, leaders said the design appears to address the real conditions clinicians face in emergency and high-acuity settings.

“Central line placement is one of the highest-pressure bedside procedures our teams perform, especially in fast-moving, high-acuity environments where unpredictability is inherent and skilled clinicians must bring precision to complexity in real time,” said Dr. Anthony Frank, chief medical officer and senior vice president of medical affairs at UNC Health Blue Ridge.

Frank said the early experience at UNC Health Blue Ridge suggests the system may help streamline catheter placement while reducing opportunities for error, sterile-field breaches and staff workload.

Among the features highlighted by BD are a pre-loaded kink-resistant guidewire, an attached drape clip designed to prevent guidewire embolism, a pre-loaded catheter with a self-dilating tip that removes the need for a separate dilation step, a passive needle-safety feature and a closed insertion system intended to reduce the risk of air embolism, blood exposure and blood loss.

BD said the device received FDA 510(k) clearance and was accepted into the FDA’s Safer Technologies Program for medical devices, which recognizes technologies aimed at improving safety.

Ron Silverman, BD’s executive vice president and chief medical officer, said the system is intended to simplify one of the most stressful procedures clinicians perform.

For local patients and families, the benefit could be fewer procedural steps, less opportunity for contamination and stronger support for clinical teams during urgent care. For UNC Health Blue Ridge, the pilot also signals that the local health system is participating in early adoption of a device aimed at improving patient safety and infection prevention.

The commercial launch also marks BD’s entry into the acute central venous catheter market and expands its vascular access portfolio.

— AVN