title: In the interest of patients: an evidence-based assessment of the safety of vinyl infusion care devices.
abstract: Decisions in virtually every sector of modern healthcare are increasingly guided by the doctrine of evidence-based medicine. This includes the choice of materials and medical devices used in life-sustaining procedures such as infusion therapy. Environmental activists contend that devices made from plasticized vinyl, which are ubiquitous in healthcare settings, constitute a health risk to patients and should be deselected for these and other procedures. An evidence-based assessment refutes these allegations and makes clear that for most applications, vinyl remains superior to alternative materials in terms of safety and performance.
authors.affiliation: Health Systems Administration program at Georgetown University, USA. mastoma@aol.com
authors.forename: Mary Jane
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Mastorovich
mesh_terms: D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D003662:Decision Theory; D004051:Diethylhexyl Phthalate / Q000633:toxicity; D004147:Dioxins / Q000633:toxicity; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D004869:Equipment Safety; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008422:Materials Testing; D018570:Risk Assessment; D017751:Safety Management; D013673:Technology Assessment, Biomedical; D014753:Vinyl Compounds / Q000737:chemistry / Q000592:standards / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D004147:Dioxins; D014753:Vinyl Compounds; D004051:Diethylhexyl Phthalate