Volume 5 Issue 2

Hello, I’m new

I am delighted to be the new Editor-in-Chief of Vascular Access, and thank the Society for the opportunity to be part of raising AVAS’ profile through your excellent journal. Thank you, too, to all who have been so helpful as I get up and running in this position. Volumes of appreciation go out to Gillian Ray-Barruel, the previous Editor-in-Chief, who has kindly stayed on as Deputy Editor in an attempt to help me shorten my learning curve, and who seems to never tire of answering my many questions – especially ones about how Australian English differs from Canadian English. Yes, I am from Canada, which means I am the only one attending board meetings late at night.

Let me tell you a bit about myself. An award-winning entrepreneur, I am an editor with a very broad background and many interests. I am not a medical professional, so I rely on your peer reviewers to get the science right, while I make sure the language flows and the information is presented in a way that is clear, accurate, and as captivating as possible. Currently, I am also Editor-in-Chief of the peer-reviewed journal published by the Canadian Vascular Access Association, so I am well versed in the concerns you face in this specialised and important field. Some of my other clients are the College of Nurses of Ontario, Calea, an investment firm, and various book authors writing in diverse genres.

Contributing authors – you blew me away with your wonderful response to our call for papers. We received seven manuscripts, more than we can fit in this issue, so a couple might be deferred to the April issue. We are also including the poster abstracts from AVAS’ 2019 National Scientific Meeting in May of this year. The abstracts represent the latest research in vascular access and we bring you their leading edge thought and results, as we strive to improve vascular access standards and best practice. Give them a read to find out what your colleagues are up to, and be sure to let us know if any of them spark your innovative genius.

Our articles

As I edited the articles and abstracts for this issue, certain themes run through the content, including getting results faster (whether it is confirming an infection, recognising infiltration, or minimising the number of cannulation attempts), the importance of training and education (something that is crucial for good patient experiences with parenteral nutrition, PN), and positioning (is the device in the right place, in when it needs to be in, out when it doesn’t, not failing)? You will find this issue full of such concerns.

For instance, would you like to get confirmation of a Staphylococcus aureus PICC colonisation in less than 2 hours? Maddie Higgins* and colleagues tell us about a new assay (qPCR) that offers such potential.

Karen Winterbourn* and fellow PNDU (Parenteral Nutrition Down Under) members have done a consumer audit on retraining of PN users and caregivers in Australia and New Zealand. Better training and regular updates could make a significant difference in PN users’ experience.

If you work with preterm infants, you know infiltration and extravasation have serious consequences. Matheus van Rens* and his colleagues explore the feasibility of using a new optical sensor-based infiltration detection technology (ivWatch®) in a neonatal unit. Early detection is key. Check out their results.

To remove or not to remove, that is the question – especially when your vascular device is suspected of being infected (my apologies to poetry and Shakespeare). India Lye* and her colleagues bring us the results of a narrative review of literature relevant to this quandary, looking particularly at the adult ICU population and managing VADs suspected of infection.

Imagine correcting a malpositioned PICC with a safe, cost-effective intervention that only minimally interferes with the IV therapy and comes at a nominal cost. Leanne Ruegg* shows how to save time, costs and treatment delays with the high-flow flush technique (HFFT) or the simultaneous rapid saline flush (SRSF).

I hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as I have enjoyed putting it together. As AVAS members, Vascular Access is your voice, a place to share important information about this specialised field. Through education and practical experience, we intend to lead improvements in environments, techniques and policies with the valuable knowledge you gain through experience and research. Keep the manuscripts coming. By sharing your expertise, you raise the standards and spearhead best practice.

Linda

Author(s)

Linda M. Verde
Editor-in-Chief