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There are a plethora of clinical situations in which the fixation or securement of catheters and tubing are important. Many of these become critical, especially where dislodgement of the catheter/tube can compromise the treatment regimen for the patient, or cause pain and discomfort. In other situations, tube fixation is important for patient discretion and convenience. It is recognized that no matter what the specific application, there are several key criteria which any catheter/tube fixation system should meet: it must offer skin friendly attachment to the body; offer secure, but adjustable attachment for a range of catheter/tubing types, especially non-adherent silicones; must not present risks to users, such as creating pressure points or constriction; and must be convenient and uncomplicated to apply. This article discusses the need for securement or in some eases the total fixation of catheters and medical tubing. It outlines the present methods of securement or fixation currently available to clinicians and then goes on to cover the development and evaluation of a new device -- CliniFix®. Case studies demonstrate the usage of this new product within urological and stoma areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intact skin among many other functions provides a protective barrier between the body and its environment, which is critical in regulating trans-epidermal water loss (Wilkinson and Moor, 1982).The frequent application and removal of adhesives can damage skin by stripping away the outer epidermal layers. Older people, very young children and those with an underlying skin disorder may be particularly at risk (Gibelli et al, 1999; Lyons and Smith, 2003). Hydrocolloid adhesives, which hold moisture in the adhesive mass, are more skin friendly than the acrylic adhesives they now replace and have now become the material of choice for ostomy flanges and flange extenders (Smith et al, 2007). To understand stoma care nurses' awareness of the value of technologically-advanced silicone and hydrocolloid products, the authors undertook a nationwide postal survey. The survey, commissioned by four companies in the United Kingdom, who make silicone and hydrocolloid products that can be used in stoma care, were keen to evaluate the awareness of these products to confirm their importance to the patient and why they should be appropriately categorized for reimbursement by the Department of Health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]