The goal istosupportthehospitalsoftheKAV in the efficientphase-out ofPVC-containingmedicalarticles.This way, thebasis for aphase-out ofPVC-containingmedicalarticle will beenhanced andthehospitalswill besupportedintheireffortsfor the phase out.
Summary
Within the projects VEMED and VEMED II, the hospitals of the Viennese Hospital Association (KAV) have been rendered active support in phasing out the PVC-containing articles. PVC (polyvinyl chloride) would be, without adding of plasticisers to it, a hard and brittle plastic to work with. Medical appliances require, however, a certain grade of flexibility that is primarily granted by the plasticiser diethyl hexyl phthalate (DEHP). Phthalates are added in more or less high concentrations to the PVC, whereby they can even amount to 40 % of the final material’s mass.
These plasticisers are not chemically bound within the PVC matrix, but only physically dissolved in the PVC and can thus be washed out, mainly by fat containing liquids, such as blood or nutrient concentrates. This way, the patients are exposed to risks that may seriously affect in particular foetuses, newborns, pregnant women or dialysis patients that undergo a medical treatment. Scientific studies have already proved the DEHP‘s toxic effects on foetuses, on the reproduction system and the viscera (lever, kidneys, lungs, heart).
The within the VEMED project developed PVC-free article catalogue, that refers to the groups of infusion sets; catheters; tubes, Tracheoflex; oxygen glasses, masks, hoses; syringe extension set; three way stopcocks; suction catheters; rectal tubes and examination gloves, has been updated and enhanced. This way, the PVC-free article catalogue currently contains 680 PVC free medical articles.
For those PVC containing articles that are of most relevance for the PVC mass flow within the Viennese Hospital Association, PVC free alternatives have been identified. The latter have been tested in the four hospitals (Rudolfstiftung Hospital, Kaiserin Elisabeth Hospital, Hietzing Hospital and Preyer’s Children’s Hospital) towards their practical suitability and evaluated by means of a specially developed uniform assessment sheet.
