Companies Launch New Safety, Infection Prevention Solutions at AORN Congress

Aplicare

Many healthcare professionals assume all skin antiseptics are sterile. This is not true. Contaminated patient preoperative skin preparations have been associated with clinical infections and adverse outcomes, and in some cases death.  And while many antiseptics have sterile outer packaging, the antiseptic inside the package, arguably the most important component because it touches patients skin, is not sterilized.

For more than 30 years, Aplicare has provided the only sterile preoperative skin preparation antiseptics. Aplicares terminal sterilization is designed to help decrease the risk of organisms finding their way to already compromised patients.

A new white paper, Why Sterility Matters, by Kim LaFreniere, PhD, clinical affairs for Clorox Healthcare, notes that clinical infections associated with a variety of approved skin antiseptics have been reported to the CDC, FDA, medical journals and a number of product recalls have ensued. 

For more information about Aplicare® Sterile Skin Antiseptics and to download the white paper, visit www.AplicareSterility.com.

Kimberly-Clark

Kimberly-Clark announced full market availability of Kimguard Smart-Fold Sterilization Wrap at the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) 60th Annual Congress. Smart-Fold is innovative sterilization packaging designed to provide the durability necessary for the most demanding healthcare applications while reducing waste.

Now available to the entire healthcare market in North America, Smart-Fold features triple-layer reinforcement, making it  64 percent more durable than the leading sterilization wrap. Its impact-resistant fabric and triple-layer reinforcement zones are engineered to protect the heaviest trays and loaner sets from tears and cuts in handling.

 We developed Kimguard Smart-Fold Sterilization Wrap in collaboration with central service and operating room professionals and hospital managers from around the world to be smarter by design and to best meet customers demands for extra protection for sterilized surgical instruments, says Lon Taylor, marketing director of surgical and infection prevention for Kimberly-Clark Health Care. As leaders in sterilization packaging, we are excited to now be able to fully offer Smart-Fold Wrap to address a wide range of sterilization needs.

Further demonstrating its commitment to protecting staff and patients in the operating room, Kimberly-Clark is introducing the new heavy-duty cover for two-tier back tables which features a tough, 5.5 mil film layer that resists holes and tears and an absorbent reinforcement layer that helps reduce the need for OR towels.

In line with its commitment to cutting edge clinical education, Kimberly-Clark is offering two CE-accredited educational programs at its booth on Tuesday, March 5 and Wednesday, March 6, which will address the critical aspects of sterilization product selection to protect patients from surgical site infections.

- Sterile Lint & Fibers in the OR: Whats the Big Deal?, presented by Wava Truscott, Director Medical Sciences and Clinical Education, Kimberly-Clark Health Care.

- Protecting Patients from SSIs: The Critical Role of Wrap, presented by Kathy Stoessel, Senior Manager, Clinical Education, Kimberly-Clark Health Care.

To encourage and award innovation in the operating room and central services departments across the country, Kimberly-Clark is launching the Love My K-C Design Contest, inviting hospital and healthcare facility employees  to create a unique design using a Kimberly-Clark surgical product. Photos of the design can be taken at Kimberly-Clarks AORN booth or uploaded online to the Kimberly-Clark Health Care Facebook page.

AORN Congress entries must be received by 4 p.m. on March 6, and Facebook entries must be submitted by March 20.  Winners will be announced on March 21 and will receive a medical textbook of their choice from Elsevier online, valued up to $200 for first place and $100 for second place. The complete rules and entry information is available online at http://www.facebook.com/kchealthcare.

Kimberly-Clark Health Care is challenging surgical teams across North America to participate in the MicroCool* Challenge,a two week trial of MicroCool* Breathable High Performance Gowns, rated AAMI level 4 (per Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation standard).  In addition to providing the highest AAMI level of liquid barrier protection, as well as critical lint, abrasion, flame and microbial resistance, the MicroCool* gown features advanced microporous fabric that keeps the wearer cool and comfortable, even in the most demanding surgeries.

Cardinal Health

Cardinal Health will highlight healthcare solutions essential to infection prevention, patient and staff safety, and sterilization at the 60th annual Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) Congress exhibit hall March 4-6 in San Diego.

The company will host four continuing education (CE) activities focused on safety and efficiency in the operating room (OR). Each course, approved for two CE credits, is sponsored by Pfiedler Enterprises through the California Board of Registered Nursing. The following courses will be offered in the Cardinal Health CE theater:

Pre-op preparedness: Setting the stage for safety A strong culture of safety in the OR is essential to positive patient outcomes and is the responsibility of all members of the entire perioperative team. This continuing education activity will provide an overview of the appropriate strategies and practices for building a culture of safety before a surgical procedure begins.
 
Preference Card Management: Improving Clinical Efficiency and Patient Care
  Surgeon preference cards provide the basis for business, financial and operational decisions and can play a critical role in the efficient management of perioperative suites. This session will address methods for improving clinical efficiency and patient care through effective preference card management.
 
Topical Skin Adhesives: Strong, Secure and Effective Wound Closure   Wound closure and healing are essential to optimal outcomes for all surgical patients, and the healing process is facilitated by proper closure of the surgical wound. This continuing education course will provide information regarding the advancements in topical skin adhesives in surgery and the clinical benefits of their use, focusing specifically on the butyl- and octyl-cyanoacrylate formulations of skin adhesives.

An additional course will be offered as a CE handout on March 5 and 6 while supplies last:

Retained Foreign Objects: The Cost of Leaving Things Behind Retained Foreign Objects (RFOs) after surgery can result in patient morbidity and even mortality, and the cost of leaving them behind is significant for everyone involved. This continuing education activity not only will help perioperative nurses understand the ramifications and liabilities of the costs of RFOs, but it also will allow th em to explore current technology and professional-recommended practices that will help them eliminate false counts and RFO incidences.

Cardinal Health is also the sponsor of the AORN keynote speaker session at 5:15 p.m. PT on March 6. In his presentation, "Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work," guest speaker and renowned author Dan Heath, will discuss how the few, critical moments of decision making have disproportionate influence in the day-to-day and the four-step process people can utilize to help make better choices.
Beyond offering free CE activities and sponsoring keynote speaker Dan Heath, Cardinal Health will further support clinician education at its AORN Booth #3139 by highlighting inventive, meaningful and cost-effective solutions that allow practitioners to focus on what matters most -- caring for their patients. As part of customized tours, attendees can learn more about health care essentials, including:

 Cardinal Health Orthopedic Solutions, a new business model to help reduce the cost and complexity of orthopedic surgery. In a simplified approach to high quality orthopedics, Cardinal Health Orthopedic Solutions comprises high quality, low cost products; data and analytics packages for visibility on spend, inventory and outcomes; and supply chain expertise from an experienced distribution channel.

 Double-gloving Systems with Protexis Surgical Gloves, supporting sharps safety initiatives. The systems blue foundation gloves paired with light-colored overgloves helps make breaches visible and alerts wearers to dangerous perforations.

 Topical skin adhesives in both the SecureSeal octyl and Liquiband® butyl formulations, providing safe, strong and secure topical skin closure solutions.

 Jackson-Pratt® Wound Drains, a recently expanded line of products which now includes a more comprehensive selection of high-quality active and passive surgical wound drain systems.

 Smart-Seal Surgical Mask, the latest addition to the Cardinal Health facial protection portfolio and the 2012 winner of the Surgical Products magazine "Excellence in Surgical Products" award in the Apparel Category. The mask features a patent-pending fog-reduction system that includes closed-cell foam and a vapor barrier as well as a patent-pending "cin ch and hug" single-tie design that reduces gaps along the face to deliver complete protection for wearers.

 Smith & Nephew PICO Single Use Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) System, a pocket-sized, single use canister-free NPWT system that offers the effectiveness of traditional NPWT at a significantly reduced cost. The ultra-compact, discreet, single-use, and off-the-shelf design of PICO simplifies the application of effective negative pressure, reducing the need for staff time, intensive training and administrative paperwork associated with traditional NPWT.

 DuraBlue Sterilization Wrap, cleared for use with the most sterilization cycles of any double-layer sterilization wrap in the U.S. market and the only double-layer wrap cleared for use with all currently su pported ASP STERRAD® Systems.

 Instrument decontamination and preservation products designed to satisfy Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation guidelines and extend the life of surgical equipment.

 Care beyond the OR. a collaboration between AORN Congress attendees and Cardinal Health to support Wounded Warrior Project®. Cardinal Health will donate $5 per attendee visiting the Cardinal Health interactive donation station and adding a photo to the image wall. The mission of the Wounded Warrior Project® is to honor and empower wounded warriors.

Medline Industries 

From products to improve staff safety, combat hypothermia in children and reduce waste in the operating room (OR), to new packaging systems designed to increase the efficiency in the OR, Medline Industries, Inc. is introducing a number of innovative OR solutions designed to improve OR safety at the 60th Annual Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) Congress kicking off in San Diego.  AORN Congress is the largest gathering of OR nurses in the world.

Preventing medical errors and improving the quality of care is our paramount goal, says Kim Haines, RN, certified OR nurse and vice president of clinical resources for Medline. Through extensive customer insights, research and new technologies, we have developed several new solutions to help OR staff improve efficiency and enhance patient safety and outcomes.

Among the new products Medline (Booth #2710) will introduce and demonstrate at AORN are:

 EMPOWER Packaging System an innovative surgical procedure pack identification system to help improve OR efficiency, eliminate waste and enhance patient safety. The system features easy-to-read, color-coded outer packing labels and matching color-coded insert forms that easily identify each pack and reduce the chance of selecting the wrong pack.

 PerfecTemp Pediatric PerfecTemp Pediatric OR table pad uniquely incorporates both pressure-reducing high-tech material to reduce the incidence of pressure ulcers and a warming system to combat hypothermia in younger patients. 

 Vaso-Force SQ DVT prophylaxis pumps and garments Medlines newest compression therapy solution for deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Medline is the only company to offer all three of the most common compression solutions: intermittent, sequential and static non-mechanical compression with EMS compression stockings. Medlines air compression garments are lined with tricot, a soft and breathable knit material that helps promote compliance.

 See Green For Safety Double Glove Program Medlines See Green For Safety campaign promotes the use of using two gloves in the operating room to decrease the chance of cross contamination risks during surgery. Medlines specially designed Sensicare® Green and Triumph® Green undergloves alert the wearer that its time to change gloves when the outer glove (usually a light color) has been punctured and the contrasting color of the dark green underglove is clearly seen.

 Sterillium® Rub Fragrance-Free Surgical Scrub Featuring exceptionally high ethyl alcohol content (85%), Sterillium Rub provides best-in-class surgical hand antisepsis. Its formulated to excel in safety and efficiency, while being exceptionally kind to skin, which can help improve hand hygiene compliance.

 Gold Standard Safety Program Medlines Gold Standard products help break down the barriers in safety compliance by providing the surgical team with simple, easy-to-use products that will help achieve safety initiatives, including: prevention of wrong-site surgery, sharps safety and biohazard fluid management.

 greensmart for healthcare Medline's greensmart products and services can help hospitals implement successful green initiatives that will result in cost savings, happier employees, increased patient satisfaction and a healthier community.

SurgiCount Medical

SurgiCount Medical, Inc., the wholly-owned operating subsidiary of Patient Safety Technologies, Inc. announces it is introducing a new proprietary surgical sponge at AORN Congress. The patent protected SAFE-T Lap is designed to allow for improved visibility during surgery and enhanced X-ray detectability.

"The SAFE-T Lap is a simple, innovative product designed to provide users of the Safety-Sponge® System an added layer of protection and improved ease of use," says Brian E. Stewart, president and CEO of Patient Safety Technologies, Inc. "Based on customer insight and demand for a surgical sponge that is more visible both during use and on X-ray, we look forward to introducing this line of lap sponges."

The SurgiCount Safety-Sponge® System is clinically proven to help eliminate retained surgical sponges and decrease the occurrences of misplaced and miscounted sponges, enabling hospitals to perform fewer X-rays related to this issue. The SAFE-T Lap is designed to provide a more easily visible lap sponge both during use in surgery and for those times when the established clinical standard of an X-ray is the best course of action for the safety of the patient.

The new SAFE-T Lap product will be introduced at SurgiCount Medical's booth #462.

Richard Wolf Medical 

To ensure thorough cleaning and sterilization of narrow-channel flexible endoscopes, Richard Wolf Medical Instruments Corp. has created a reprocessing education and training series, complete with step-by-step posters to display in Perioperative and Central Sterile Supply settings.

Richard Wolf will debut the series, along with new surgical products and video devices, at the 60th Annual Congress of AORN, the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses, March 3-7, 2013 in San Diego.

Currently the subject of intense focus across the health care industry, the reprocessing of surgical instruments is increasingly recognized as a critical factor in preventing infection. Today's endoscopes maximize access and comfort during surgical procedures, but their narrow channels demand systematic decontamination, disinfection and proper handling with each use, whether they are cleaned manually or by machine.

"Sterility cannot be detected by the naked eye; it requires diligence and vigilance," says Monica Sanders, corporate director of marketing. "Richard Wolf is dedicated to providing not only the most sophisticated tools on the market but also the most complete education to ensure patient safety. Like the healthcare providers we serve, Richard Wolf delivers optimum care."

Originally oriented to gastrointestinal scopes, the protocols spelled out in the reprocessing series can be applied to other types and brands of flexible endoscopes. The module includes a technical paper, orientation guide and posters written by Richard Wolf's reprocessing senior product manager, Sydney Nye, RN, MBA, as well as a video.

"The Joint Commission or any organization who reviews hospital quality programs asks every hospital to document the competencies used to train their employees in reprocessing and sterilization," said Nye. "We've created a competency checklist for them that covers everything the staff needs to know to perform reprocessing and sterilization for flexible endoscopes."

Nye also has written a CE guide for participants who visit the Richard Wolf booth #3339 at the AORN Congress. After completing the self-study guide, the participant will be eligible for 2 CE hours.