Excelsior
Medical Corporation, one of the leading manufacturers of pre-filled
catheter flush syringes, today announced that it has received a Medical
Device License from Health
Canada for its new, pre-filled catheter lock syringe to be sold in
the Canadian marketplace.
“This new Excelsior Medical product
has been in development for over three years, and included detailed
studies on patency and catheter compatibility. We’ve also redesigned the
syringe and plunger to maintain stability of the solution and a 2 year
expiration date.”
The syringe contains the first commercially available heparin
replacement solution – a combination of 4% Sodium Citrate and 30%
Ethanol in water for injection. The solution has similar anticoagulant
properties to heparin so it helps maintain catheter patency without the
possible negative side affects.
The new Excelsior Medical solution has a major advantage over heparin,
because it eliminates many of the potentially dangerous complications
associated with heparin. Heparin in low concentrations has been the
traditional locking solution for central venous catheters. But heparin
use entails risks such as the potential for bleeding disorders,
hemorrhaging due to an overdose, heparin induced thrombocytopenia, and
the chances of being mixed with incompatible medications.