The CVAA Link: Spring 2023

THE C V AA

Newsletter of the Canadian Vascular Access Association President’s Message

“You can’t pour from an empty cup.”

These past few years have taken a toll on many healthcare providers’ physical and emotional well-being. Many have resigned from their fields. Larger workloads, continued staffing shortages, wage suppression legislations, disruptions to organizational processes, and tense interactions between colleagues, patients, and families. To say that we are experiencing unprecedented challenges in our healthcare system is an understatement to say the least. These increased pressures have led to many healthcare providers feeling depersonalized from their work and families. Frankly, we are emotionally exhausted.

A New Normal is a term that I’m hearing a lot more of these days, as many have shifted their attention to healing after experiencing organizational trauma. Part of this includes purposeful efforts to retain our exhausted workforce while

SPRiNg 2023

simultaneously mentoring our junior staff; something that all organizations should be prioritizing to ensure a knowledgeable workforce into the future. We need to normalize the creation of psychologically safe environments and focus on relationship building again. Only then will it allow us to inspire and mentor the next generation of vascular access champions to advocate for continued best practices and clinical outcomes. As we start to see workplaces and businesses return to usual operations, I’m reminded of how far we’ve come.

This year not only marks our first in-person conference since the COVID pandemic, but also our first time partnering with WoCoVA to host the World Congress on Vascular Access. With so many international delegates this year, it is an excellent opportunity to share Canadian perspectives and to help advance the scholarship of vascular access. It is certainly an honour for CVAA to be recognized as the international

expert vascular access association that we are on this world stage. My hope is that this, along with other CVAA webinars and learning events that will happen throughout the year, will help to refill your cup and to keep you feeling fulfilled in your practice as we continue to work together in advancing this specialty.

Janny

Janny Proba, RN, BScN, MEd, EdD(c), CON(C), CHPCN(C), CVAA(c)

CVAA President

Vascular Access Student Club (VASC) at Mcgill

On February 2, 2023, the Vascular Access Student Club (VASC) was proud to host its first Ultrasound-Guided Peripheral Intravenous (PIV) insertion event led by Nipro Canada. With more than 30 students in attendance throughout the morning and afternoon sessions from the Nurse Practitioner (NP), PhD, MSc(A), BNI, and U3 BScN programs, the event allowed for students to learn from Vascular Access and Infusion Nursing specialists. Following the event, all participants reported an increase in understanding of the fundamentals of ultrasound-guided PIV placement in addition to agreement for the standardized integration of ultrasound-guided PIV placements in patients with difficult venous access.

CVAA is actively working with nursing schools and the Canadian Nursing Students’ Association to bring Vascular Access Student Clubs to more students across Canada. If you work for a nursing school or have a contact, please reach out (cvaa@cvaa.info). We have tools in place to get these groups started and they are so valuable to students!

Strategic Plan

The CVAA Board of Directors held our annual weekend meeting IN-PERSON (finally) this year and were joined, once again, by Jacqueline Valmont of Valmont & Associates to assist us with our Strategic Planning process. We developed a three-year Strategic Plan for 2023–2025 that continues work to:

• Generate, disseminate and translate knowledge into measurable procedural competence

• Increase, diversify, add value and engage membership

• Demonstrate and ddvocate for the value of our specialty

• Ensure resilience of CVAA organization to support future growth.

You can find the full plan here.

Conference

We are BEYOND thrilled to be returning to in-person this year for our national conference and also excited to be partnering with WoCoVA for a special event.

What is WoCoVA?

WoCoVA is a multi-disciplinary and multiprofessional foundation promoting the science and practice of vascular access. WoCoVA congresses are events held in Europe where professionals from all over the world can share the latest research and innovations with all stakeholders.

In 2019, the Global Vascular Access Network (GloVANet) was created to address the increasing interest in improving vascular access. WoCoVA now has a permanent position in connecting worldwide VA activities. To improve global awareness and quality patient care, there is a need for global standards of practice, consensus models and certification of VA-related educational programs and training centres.

The goal of WoCoVA is improve vascular access for patients worldwide. On a national level many countries, including Canada have already a national vascular access society with the same goal as WoCoVA. In the WoCoVA network, national societies (including CVAA) can share results of research, initiatives and innovations on vascular access with other specialists from all over the globe.

What is the 2023 CVAA & WoCoVA Special Event?

CVAA holds our national conference each year in different locations across Canada and, in 2023, we will be partnering with WoCoVA for a Special Event as part of our conference. In the off-years, WoCoVA partners with countries on Special Events. For CVAA, we will be hosting our threeday conference (Wednesday, April 26–Friday, April 28, 2023) and the first day (Wednesday April 26) will be the CVAA & WoCoVA Special Event.

Top questions on Sosido 2022

Check out what Canadian vascular access professionals were talking about in 2022! Here are the TOP 20 discussions in the CVAA Q&A forum this past year.

The CVAA Q&A forum on Sosido was bursting with knowledge in 2022 with 44 questions and 189 answers from CVAA members. Here’s a list of the 20 most discussed CVAA questions of 2022:

1. CVAD cleaning products and skin protector [view 12 replies]

2. We are hoping to introduce bedside PICC insertion using U/S guidance by nurses in our ICU. For those doing this can you share training advice/procedures/etc.? [view 8 replies]

3. Is anyone filtering lipids? [view 7 replies]

4. Blood Culture through CVAD [view 7 replies]

5. Hi just wondering if anyone is using a different securement option for CVAD’s ie IJ, subclavian or fem lines. At moment our physicians still suture and was wondering what other reliable options there might be. [view 7 replies]

6. Is using Flovent a regular practice for skin prep under PICC dressings. What experience do you have or have you seen with this in practice? [view 7 replies]

7. Any info/refs on increased risk of infusion reactions CVAD vs PIV? [view 7 replies]

8. For those that work in the ICU setting how often are you changing Arterial lines. We moved iv lines to q seven days. Can we do this with arterial lines and lastly, how often do you change the pressure bags? [view 7 replies]

9. cyclosporine and non-PVC lines [view 7 replies]

10. Locking solution for CVADs [view 6 replies]

11. IV push antibiotic self administration in home setting [view 6 replies]

12. Antibiotic pH and Osmolarity Chart? [view 6 replies]

13. A new hire commented at previous facility all PICCs had to be flushed prior to patient

having Physio, it was a policy/protocol requirement. Anyone else doing this? [view 6 replies]

14. Ultrasound use for vascular access [view 5 replies]

15. RPNs administering high-alert medications via IV direct [view 5 replies]

16. At the CVAA conference the seminar on port-a-cath access stated the recommended flushing was now Q3months for a port not in use rather than monthly, looking for the article or reference on this best practice as our standards of care are being updated. [view 5 replies]

17. Vein viewer [view 5 replies]

18. Alternative PICC dressing question - We have a patient who is adamant in using Biatain AG as the exit site dressing with a change weekly. He has moved from another location and stated that the nurse there did an allergy test for the TSM dressing. Has anybody ever ... [view 5 replies]

19. Experiences with CVADs in long-term care sites? [view 5 replies]

20. Our vascular team is working on nursing method which is to do the central catheter dressing. We are a bit confused on how to proceed. Should we use sterile gloves? (i.e. handle compresses and antiseptic with gloves?) or should we use no-touch technique? (use sterile forceps but no sterile gloves to manipulate compresses?) What are ... [view 5 replies]

... and 24 more discussions from 2022, available to CVAA members here

2023 Corporate Members

We have another amazing number of Corporate Members including ones who have been with CVAA for years as well as some new partners – we are so appreciative for their support!

CVAA Merchandise

Are you coming to the CVAA Conference? You asked and we answered! We are happy to finally be offering CVAA merchandise for purchase by those attending the CVAA Conference in Toronto this April. We will be expanding the offerings to all others in May. Check out what we have to offer here

Order by March 24!

Other Happenings

• Annual General Meeting – Wednesday, May 10, 2023 7:30pm EST

• Guidelines Revision has begun!

• CVAA Awards program will launch this spring!

Our latest Meet the Board video is up! Say hello to Kerry McDonald from Pembroke, Ontario.

Partnerships

CVAA is proud to officially partner with several organizations around Canada and the world. By joining forces, sharing education, and providing mutually beneficial resources for our members, we strengthen our missions, values, and objectives to provide best practice to our patients in every specialty. The achievement of both organizations’ missions relies on a high level of collaboration with partner organizations with shared objectives. With common priorities that include education, patient care and safety, and evidence-informed practices, the creation of a formal partnership is undertaken to promote the successful realization of these similar goals for both organizations.

Canadian Association for interventional Radiology (CAiR)

Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology (CANO)

Canadian Association of Critical Care Nurses (CACCN)

Canadian Society for Transfusion Medicine (CSTM)

Canadian Association of Paediatric Nurses (CAPN)

infection Prevention and Control Canada (iPAC Canada)

Canadian Nursing Students Association (CNSA)

Spring Webinars

PRESENTED

CAROLINE MARCHIONNI

CVAA is pleased to present an online education series focusing on vascular access and infusion therapy. Our next session in the 2023 Webinar Series is:

Do You Need an IV for That?

The Subcutaneous Solution

Wednesday May 17, 2023 1:00pm EST

Register here or visit www.cvaa.info

MADOLYN CONNOLLY

In the face of a difficult venous access, have you considered the subcutaneous route? No longer limited to geriatrics and veterinary medicine, subcutaneous infusion offers a safe and cost-effective route of fluid and medication administration that should be considered by the astute clinician. New technologies and clinical indications will be reviewed and presented as a means to maximize vascular preservation and increase patient quality of life. In this session, attendees will learn the benefits of hyaluronidase in hypodermoclysis practice. The use of HyQvia for subcutaneous immunoglobulin administration in community settings will be discussed.