INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
news & notes
Nihon Kohden Launches Video Laryngoscope in U.S. Nihon Kohden announced that it is now offering the NK AWS-S200 video laryngoscope as part of its critical care portfolio. Designed for the safe and secure intubation of patients in even the most difficult situations, the NK AWS-S200 may reduce the exposure to aerosolized particles, which can help protect clinicians while intubating patients suffering from COVID-19 or other respiratory infections. The lightweight NK AWS-S200 video laryngoscope includes a high-definition color LCD screen and on-screen crosshairs to guide clinicians of all skill levels through an intubation. Studies have demonstrated that the NK AWS-S200 video laryngoscope offers superior laryngeal view and a significantly shorter median time to intubate patients who present with difficult airways. With the NK
AWS-S200, clinicians can intubate even difficult airways in 22.9 seconds, well below the 30-second threshold recommended for intubations and up to 33 seconds faster than other devices. “Whether dealing with COVID-19 or another critical illness, it is imperative that health care providers have tools that can help them quickly and easily establish an airway,” said Genoveffa Devers, DNP, MSHA, RN, CPHQ, vice president of clinical and strategic alliances at Nihon Kohden. “The NK AWS-S200 video laryngoscope is designed to accomplish this while also keeping clinicians safe because they don’t have to lean in to visualize the vocal cords and larynx. It is the embodiment of Nihon Kohden’s commitment to bring exceptional and simple solutions to health care providers, and NK-HealthProtect, which is designed to protect the health of those whom we serve.” •
UV-Concepts Launches UV-C Enclosure UV-Concepts Inc. has announced worldwide availability of the UV-C Enclosure (UVE), the first and only automated no-touch UV-C enclosure designed to improve upon the existing standard of manual cleaning and disinfection of large portable medical equipment (PME). The UVE is one component of a threepronged ecosystem solution that includes digital tags and a cloudbased process management system to enable improved tracking and monitoring of PME disinfection in the health care setting. Research shows high-touch surfaces on PME, such as wheelchairs, intravenous poles, computer workstations, and infusion pumps, are a potential vector for transmission of bacteria and viruses, including MRSA, C.Diff, and SARS-CoV-2. UV-Concepts developed a novel platform using short-wavelength ultraviolet light (UV-C, 254nm) in an enclosed structure to optimize the inactivation of disease-causing microorganisms. Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) has been shown to be an effective method of disinfection in health care over the past decade. “The concern for the cleaning and disinfection of high-touch surfaces in the health care environment has grown exponentially due to COVID-19,” said Jeremy Starkweather, president and co-founder, UV-Concepts Inc. “The UVE completely surrounds an item with high intensity germicidal UV-C light resulting in the fastest and most powerful UV-C disinfection solution available to health care providers. We’re very pleased to make the UVE
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OCTOBER 2020
available for health care institutions globally to help protect patients, health care workers, and visitors from harmful bacteria and viruses.” Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated about 700,000 patients are diagnosed with a healthcare-associated infection (HAI) each year in the United States, and of those, 70,000 die during their acute care hospitalization. While progress has been made to reduce, and in some cases eliminate HAIs, the market is constantly seeking new and improved disinfection solutions. “With use of the UVE, we have been able to process over 5,200 N95 masks, which allows us to get five uses per N95 mask. It has been a lifesaver when no new N95 masks were available,” said John P. Ostdiek, director of transportation, Aramark at Saint Joseph Hospital of SCL Health in Denver, Colorado. “We also run all portable medical equipment that can fit in the enclosure for treatment and have physicians request to use the unit for their own equipment. This is the right piece of equipment at the right time to help health care personnel have one more tool to stop the spread of infectious diseases in a hospital setting.” •
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