Infusion Therapy
Appropriately active pharmaceutical ingredient in fluids, sustains life
The field of infusion therapy implies the treatment of a patient with intravenously applied infusion solutions in order to enable a patient’s recovery or improvement of his illness. Depending on the underlying illness, the solution contains an appropriate active pharmaceutical ingredient.
This defines the type of definitive therapy: For example, fluid therapy aims to infuse larger volumes of water and appropriate electrolytes to patients for treatment of volume depletion such as major bleeding, dehydration or shock. Another example might be anti-infective therapy which means the treatment of a patient suffering from an infection with bacteria or funghi by infusing solutions containing antibiotics and antifungals.
Clinical processes in infusion therapy
To apply the correct treatment to the correct patient in the correct time and place and with the correct dose and volume, a number of different steps have to be taken consequently. Often, different responsibilities are involved and special aspects require special attention and action. In order to ensure optimum efficiency and safety during such sequences of actions, it has proven beneficial to take the entire process with all relevant steps into account. With regards to infusion therapy, the process steps are as follows:
Prescription
For each patient, the physician decides upon the appropriate treatment and medication and places the respective order.
B. Braun offers a broad range of prescription IV drugs and software solutions to enable facilitate prescription and compatibility checks. Our medicinal products come in innovative containers that also have made us pioneer in semi-rigid containers and Ready-to-use drugs.
Patient access
To apply the medication, an access to the patient has to be established. In most cases, this will be a peripheral IV catheter, but may also be a central line or even an implanted port.
B. Braun as the inventor of the “Braunula” has ever since been the pioneer innovator in peripheral intravenous IV catheters. as well as safety IVCs. Today, we offer all variancesa comprehensive range of venous and arterial access lines catheters and cannulae, for a safe both peripheral and central access.
Preparation
Many IV drugs are not available as Ready-to-use but rather have to be diluted, drawn into syringes or mixed prior to application.
B. Braun offers a broad portfolio of products for IV preparation processes in all areas of infusion preparation. The comprehensive admixture devices put safety first.
Application
The transfer of medication into the patient requires infusion systems built of medical devices from simple to complex configuration. These systems have to be set up connected and finally primed in accordance to the planned therapy.
B. Braun is your partner in all conceivable application routes, be it gravity, volumetric or syringe driven pumps. Safety is always put first, and single parts of the B. Braun infusion devices – from IV sets via IV lines, filters, valves, injection ports contribute to a safe and harmonized infusion system.
Discharge management
Once the treatment of the patient in the hospital is finished, patients may have to stay on IV medication or nutrition, e.g. parenteral nutrition or pain therapy. Discharge management concepts provide supports optimum continuous support and hand over from hospital treatment to nursing services.
B. Braun with its comprehensive experience in all areas of healthcare from hospital to ambulant settings is the perfect partner for interfaces management in the field of infusion therapy.
