Syneture Expands Blunt Tip Needle Portfolio

NORWALK, Conn. -- Syneture, the wound closure business of United States Surgical, today announced the expansion of its ProtectPoint blunt needle surgical needle product portfolio. These products are designed to optimize physician and nurse safety by helping to reduce the risk of needlestick injuries, while still providing the clinical performance that clinicians require.

"Sharp suture needles are the leading cause of needlestick injuries in the operating room," said Janine Jagger, MPH, PhD, professor of internal medicine and director of the International Health Care Worker Safety Center at the University of Virginia Health System. "Our research has shown that suture needles account for 51 percent of all sharps related injuries in the operating room and that their use in suturing muscle and fascia accounted for 59 percent of all suture needle related injuries. (1) The use of blunt tip suture needles for this application alone can prevent more sharps injuries in the OR than any other safety measure, and at the same time reduce patients' risk of exposure to the blood of injured personnel."

The ProtectPoint product line now includes an expanded line of blunt taper needles, specifically designed to reduce tissue penetration force in tougher tissue like muscle and fascia, while still offering superior glove penetration protection. OSHA estimates that the majority of needlestick injuries that occur can be prevented by using safer technologies such as blunt point needles. Needlestick injuries are a potential source for the spread of infectious diseases.

In addition to its expanded line of blunt taper needles, Syneture has also upgraded its blunt point needles with NuCoat coating technology which provides more consistent penetration pass after pass. The ProtectPoint needles, designed for softer tissues, are available with a wide variety of absorbable and nonabsorbable surgical suture materials.

Reference: AORN J. May 1998.

Source: U.S. Surgical