MUNDELEIN, Ill., Oct. 25, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- From products to combat hypothermia and a new face mask that inactivates flu viruses to innovative surgical gloves, to new educational programs designed to empower operating room (OR) teams, Medline Industries, Inc. is introducing a number of innovative OR solutions designed to improve OR safety at this week's OR Manager Conference in Las Vegas, Nev.
"Preventing medical errors and improving the quality of care is our paramount goal," said Kim Haines, RN, certified OR Nurse, vice president of clinical resources for Medline. "Through extensive customer insights, research and new technologies, we have developed several new solutions to help medical staff improve patient safety and outcomes."
Among the new products and programs Medline (Booth #301) will introduce and demonstrate at the OR Manager Show this week are:
- EMPOWER™ — An innovative new program designed to empower OR staffs by increasing the awareness of safety and quality issues through several unique training and education programs; opening lines of communications within OR teams; and helping them streamline their operations through lean assessments and other efficiency tools.
- PerfecTemp™ — The PerfecTemp OR table pad, which uniquely incorporates both pressure-reducing high-tech material to reduce the incidence of pressure ulcers and a warming system to combat hypothermia, a dangerous, yet common surgical complication associated with higher mortality rates, longer recovery time and an increased rate of wound infection.
- Medline's BioMask™ — With the flu season currently underway, health care workers can now benefit from a major breakthrough in flu protection. Medline's BioMask™, the first-ever FDA-cleared antiviral, antimicrobial medical face mask, is shown to inactivate 99.99 percent of laboratory tested flu viruses. This first-of-its-kind product marks the first true innovation in face masks in several decades. Traditional face masks act only as an air filter and do nothing to neutralize the harmful pathogens that remain active on the mask itself. In addition to filtering the air, Medline's BioMask inactivates laboratory tested flu viruses including imminent pandemic and seasonal strains of influenza (flu) viruses, such as H1N1, Avian flu and Swine flu that land on both the outside and inside surfaces of the mask within five minutes.
- Medline's Signature Glide® Surgeon's Gloves — This innovative new glove features an inner gel coating made from a hydrophilic synthetic polymer that allows surgeons' hands to easily and smoothly fit into the glove, whether their hands are wet or dry, which is critical for quickly "scrubbing in" for surgeries where every second counts.
- OR Necessities® Sharps Safety Solutions — A comprehensive solution to OR sharps safety, including "The Switch," a new, innovative safety scalpel handle and blade remover.
About Medline's OR Solutions
Medline started as an OR solutions provider more than 100 years ago when the company's founder got his start in health care by making surgeon gowns and was the innovator responsible for changing OR gowns from white to blue to reduce the glare from OR lights. Since then, Medline has built an entire suite of OR solutions that focus on solving the critical problems that cost hospitals more money, including a comprehensive line of drapes and gowns, surgical procedure trays, wrong-site and staff safety solutions, surgical gloves and instrument sterilization products.
About Medline
As the nation's largest privately held manufacturer and distributor of health care products, Medline manufactures and distributes more than 125,000 products to hospitals, extended care facilities, surgery centers, physician offices, home care dealers and retailers. Recently named one of the "100 Best Places to Work in Healthcare," Medline is headquartered in Mundelein, Ill., and has more than 1,100 dedicated sales representatives nationwide to support its broad product line and cost management services.
John Marks, (847) 643-3309 Ann Fahey, (847) 643-3011
jmarks@medline.com afahey@medline.com
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