Kimberly-Clark Introduces a New Control Unit for Use of its Patient Warming System in the OR

ROSWELL, Ga. --  Building on its commitment to provide healthcare professionals with the most innovative and effective medical products on the market, Kimberly-Clark Health Care has introduced the M1000, a new control unit for its KIMBERLY-CLARK* Patient Warming System.  This compact, stand-alone unit is packed with features that make the overall patient warming system easier to use by clinicians.  Kimberly-Clark has also launched a website devoted to advancements in thermal therapy, www.kcpatientwarming.com. 

The KIMBERLY-CLARK* Patient Warming System represents a new breed of highly efficient, non-invasive tools that are designed to provide clinicians the ability to manage patient temperature and avoid perioperative hypothermia.  Specifically applicable for long, complex surgical procedures, trauma, and critical care procedures, the KIMBERLY-CLARK* Patient Warming System is the best example of the most recent advancement in warming technology -- direct conduction. 

"Kimberly-Clark has invested considerable resources to study the various types of warming technologies available and, after significant evaluation of forced air warming systems and water blankets, it became clear that direct conduction was the most effective way to prevent hypothermia during complex surgical procedures," said Tim Dye, general manager of critical care, interventional, and patient warming at Kimberly-Clark.  "Kimberly-Clark acquired a patient warming product line in 2003.  Once the system's safety, efficacy, and efficiency were proven through use and case testing, our R & D team worked closely with our customers to determine what added features would allow them maximum control during their procedures.  The result is the M1000 control unit."

The M1000 Control Unit circulates temperature-controlled water through the disposable gel pads applied directly to the patient's body.  When the patient's target temperature is approached, M1000 Control Unit adjusts the water temperature to maintain the patient at the preset target. The M1000 Control Unit is the second generation controller for the        KIMBERLY-CLARK* Patient Warming System. 

The M1000 Control Unit retains all of the unique features of the original control unit such as the patented no-leak negative pressure design, audible alerts, redundant safety interlocks and a sophisticated automatic feedback control mode.  The M1000 Control Unit's new features include:

-- Significantly smaller size; compact unit measures 18 inches high x 10 inches wide x 10 inches deep and weighs only 38 pounds when filled to its capacity of three liters (sterile or distilled water).

-- Self-contained water supply with improved automatic filling system and attached fill tube.

 -- User interface with an pivoting IV pole mounting bracket and a 15-foot cable allows the system to be located away from the base to aid in optimum viewing.

-- Improved self-diagnostics and connectivity capabilities that allow patient temperature to be reflected to any standard monitoring device or data recording system.  In addition, data output can be integrated with various electronic data records.

-- More durable design for longer use.

Despite its relatively small size, the M1000 Control Unit is powerful enough to maintain precise patient temperatures either manually or automatically during complex surgery, trauma or critical care procedures where perioperative hypothermia is the most difficult to manage.

"We like to think about the KIMBERLY-CLARK* Patient Warming System as a whirlpool in a pad, providing patients some benefits of total warm water immersion, without the tub," said Dye.  This system integrates a highly efficient product-patient interface (hydrogel), a conformable insulated thermal pad, and precisely regulated warm water as the energy source. These elements are designed to deliver heat to the patient at a controlled rate without limiting surgical access. 

 "There is solid clinical data on various types of warming technologies and the most appropriate settings in which they should be used.  We absolutely believe that some warming technologies are a better fit for certain procedures.  However, proper education on product performance and use protocols is a key component to achieving improved outcomes   something we all strive for," said Dye.

Source: Kimberly-Clark Health Care