PREVENTION OF IATROGENIC COMPLICATIONS AND AIR EMBOLISM IN INFUSION THERAPY IN INPATIENT AND INTENSIVE CARE SETTINGS USING THE "SMART DROP" AUTOMATED OPTICAL-SENSOR SYSTEM

Background. The intensive-care unit combines the highest exposure to infusion therapy with the greatest vulnerability to its failures. Among these failures, one is both serious and largely preventable: venous air embolism, a predominantly iatrogenic complication most often related to central venous access. A specific and under-addressed trigger of infusion-related harm arises at the end of an infusion, when the container empties and flow ceases, permitting blood reflux, catheter occlusion, interruption of therapy and, in high-risk conditions, air entry.