3M launches Tegaderm CHG Antimicrobial IV Securement Dressing at Patient Safety Congress 2009, Abu Dhabi

The dressing integrates the powerful antimicrobial action of Chlorhexidine Gluconate (CHG) with the high performance of a Tegaderm dressing, and has been designed to reduce skin flora - the most common cause of catheter-related bloodstream infection (CR-BSI), which can prolong hospital stays by an average of 20 days.

Tegaderm CHG offers infection prevention specialists and health care professionals an all-in-one technology that provides barrier protection at the IV site, while allowing visualization of the insertion, with continuous antimicrobial activity. This dressing is a new addition in the Skin & wound care product range of 3M , and will complement the CHG platform offering of 3M with the hande antiseptic 3M Avagard CHG & The skin prepping Solumed swabs and swabsticks

During the Patient Safety Congress, a team of technical specialists and nurses from 3M Health Care also showcased 3M's sterilization equipment including 3M comply indicators & Attest Rapid Biological indicators and its asepsis technology products which limit the risk of surgical site infection (SSI) such as Avagard and surgical clippers.

"As a world leader in health care solutions, participating in fora like this allows us to show how 3M products can improve the practice, delivery and outcome of health care, for the convenience of health care providers and ultimately for the benefit of the region's patients. Launching the Tegaderm CHG IV Dressing here also meant we could showcase its numerous benefits to the region's medical community, in the hope that it will be widely adopted for greater CR-BSI prevention across the region,"

said Rita Habash, 3M Health Care.

3M Health Care is a leading provider of medical and oral care products, and drug delivery and health information systems. It supplies innovative products and solutions that improve the quality of care provided by health care professionals. Drawing on its rich technology base, 3M Health Care applies innovation systematically to anticipate and respond to customers' needs. It will continue to deliver standard-setting products that health care professionals have grown to trust.

For more than a century, people worldwide have looked to 3M for new products and ideas that solve problems and improve their lives. From hospitals to wound clinics to oral care offices, 3M is a trusted partner dedicated to supplying essential products designed to meet the unique needs of health care professionals.

The Abu Dhabi Patient Safety Exhibition and Congress is designed to act as a 'call to action' for hospitals, health care centres and government agencies to make patient safety their highest priority, as well as draft guidelines for setting up practical guidance to help clinicians and managers make this a reality.