TimerTag CATH TAG

In 2014, Australia’s hospitals had 1,621 cases of “golden Staph” caused by a peripheral intravenous cannula not being replaced. 60% of these patients died within one year. CATH TAG is a low-cost, single-use disposable timer that reminds hospital staff that an intravenous cannula needs to be reviewed or replaced. Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a major problem in hospitals around the world. Common sources of HAIs are peripheral intravenous cannulas (PIVCs) left in place for too long, resulting in bloodstream infections that kill 20% of affected patients. CATH TAG is a simple solution that is fully compatible with existing paper records and hospital procedures. By enabling a timed alert into existing paper records, CATH TAG gives healthcare workers timely information to intervene before the risk of acquiring a preventable HAI is elevated.

Low-tech + Low-cost Solution

In an environment of significant cost restraint and increasing demands for patient safety, a low-cost solution to HAI's is desperately needed. Each year, for every 100 beds in an average Australian public hospital there are 5 HAI's and 35 catheter-associated urinary tract infections, costing up to $290,000 to manage; not including additional surgical and medico-legal costs. CATH TAG helps stop the spread of easily preventable infections as well as their associated risks and with its simple, low-tech design, a year supply of CATH TAGs for every IV and urinary catheter in a 100-bed hospital costs as little as $22,000; representing a real and valuable cost-saving to Australia's healthcare system.

Better for Patients + Clinicians

CATH TAG integrates seamlessly with existing hospital procedures and supports current nurse behavior and workflow. With minimal additional training, nurses, doctors, and paramedics can quickly and safely use CATH TAG in both the ER and ward settings and is optimized for use with existing cannula trolleys and patient record systems both at the bedside and at the nurses' station. As part of normal hospital policy, nursing staff should review the patient and their notes every 6 hours. When the time for intervention has arrived - the rapidly blinking red LED interface activates and gives a nurse or doctor all the information they need to act on replacing the cannula before a patient's infection risk is elevated.

The TIMERTAG product family solution is a collaboration of TIMERTAG, Design + Industry (ISO 13485:2016), and LX Design House.