FDA-Approved Device Improves Managing of Medical Fluids

(NewsUSA) - Hospitals, surgical facilities, doctors' offices, and medical centers all face the same problem: how to safely dispose of the substantial amount of fluids that take place during surgeries and other medical procedures.
These fluids include blood, urine, spinal fluid, ascites fluid and saline solution used to irrigate wounds and surgical incisions. Since they may contain pathogens like HIV or hepatitis, they can be dangerous.
The standard method for managing fluids is suctioning into canisters, typically about one to three liters each. Once full, the canisters are either opened, and the fluid is dumped down the drain or opened and a solidifier is added and the canisters are then handled as regulated waste. These activities can expose medical workers to the infectious agents in the fluid. Given that a single surgery can fill up three or four containers, the risks can be substantial.
That's why some hospitals have moved to install a medical device that can suck the fluid out of the canisters directly into the drain, with no pouring needed. But that still requires the canisters to be carted around by workers to connect them to a secondary medical device.
Now there's a better approach, a completely automated medical device developed by Skyline Medical (NASDAQ:SKLN). Called the STREAMWAY® System and approved by the FDA, this innovative direct-to-drain waste management product collects, measures and disposes of surgical waste directly to the facilities drainage system without handling of fluid waste or additional labor typically required to move equipment or materials to a sink or utility closet for dumping.
This new medical device thus virtually eliminates the possibility that doctors, nurses, and other medical staffers will be exposed to pathogens in the fluid. The device is completely safe, because infectious agents are quickly neutralized at the sewage treatment facility.
Skyline's potential has caught the attention of the others in the biomedical community.
Skyline announced the signing of a definitive agreement to merge with San Antonio-based CytoBioscience, a maker of devices and instruments used for human research that measure how cells react to drugs.
 http://about.newsusa.com/article/fda-approved-device-improves-managing-of-medical-fluids

Medical Device Protects Doctors, Nurses from Pathogens in Patient Fluids

(NewsUSA) - Every time a patient has surgery or any other procedures at a hospital, the hospital faces the challenge of disposing of all the blood, urine, and other fluids that result. These fluids can contain pathogens such as HIV or hepatitis, so they may be dangerous.
The traditional method for taking care of these fluids is suctioning them up into canisters. Once each canister is full, hospital workers cart them out of the operating room, open them up, and dump the fluid down the drain. The problem is that the workers can be exposed to the infectious agents in the fluid.
That's what happened to Fran Hahn, now a nurse at Huntingdon Valley Surgery Center in Pennsylvania. When she was working at a different hospital, "I was changing a full suction canister-and contaminated fluid splashed in my eye," she recalls. "The patient was HIV-positive, so I had to be tested for the next 18 months." She wasn't infected, but the ordeal was agonizing. "No one should have to go through that," she says.
Now no one has to -- ever again. Skyline Medical (NASDAQ:SKLN) has developed an automated system that suctions fluids from the patient directly to a unit mounted on the wall that's hooked up to the sewer system. The fluids are put directly down the drain right in the operating or procedure room.
Huntingdon Valley Surgery Center found that the FDA-cleared STREAMWAY® System not only virtually eliminates the possibility that doctors, nurses, and other medical staffers will be exposed to pathogens; it also improves suction, helping doctors do better operations. "For facilities like ours, that take pride in providing the best patient care and keeping staff safe, STREAMWAY is such a logical choice," says Hahn.
Moreover, hospitals such as the Tucson Medical Center (TMC) have learned that the system saves time and money as well. "We're not spilling fluid or accidentally pulling the patient's catheter out, because we aren't having to stop and exchange bottles," says Moravia Costanza, TMC Ultrasound Department Supervisor. "One of our radiologists said the STREAMWAY System is worth its weight in gold."
 http://about.newsusa.com/article/medical-device-protects-doctors-nurses-from-pathogens-in-patient-fluids

Choosing Health Care Benefits - a Chore or a Labor of Love?

(NewsUSA) - If you're like most Americans, you probably view benefits open enrollment as somewhat of a chore. After all, 67 percent of employees describe shopping for benefits as complicated, long or stressful according to the 2017 Aflac WorkForces Report.
For many, that might be true. But why not look at choosing benefits as something more positive? Consider it a labor of love: a necessary process that helps shelter you and your family from financial concerns in the event of a medical event or emergency.
As open-enrollment season hits full swing, think about the effect a serious healthcare issue - whether the result of an accident or an illness - would have on your family. Major medical insurance is the foundation of a solid benefits plan, but it doesn't stretch to cover copayments, deductibles or the bills that continue to roll in when a breadwinner is too sick or injured to work.
That is where voluntary insurance benefits come into play. From accident to disability insurance, voluntary options help pay bills major medical insurance was never intended to cover. That is critically important in today's world, given that 65 percent of employees who participated in Aflac's survey reported having less than $1,000 on hand to pay out-of-pocket expenses associated with unexpected serious illnesses or accidents, while 39 percent have less than $500.
Tough financial realities may explain why the demand for voluntary insurance coverage is rising among American workers: Overall, 81 percent of 2017 Aflac WorkForces Report participants say they see a growing need for voluntary insurance benefits, and 90 percent at least somewhat consider voluntary insurance part of a comprehensive benefits program. In fact, access to voluntary options is a key factor in workplace contentment, with the survey revealing that it is closely tied to satisfaction, productivity, retention and recruitment.
The bottom line is that voluntary insurance is a key part of a well-rounded approach to staying ahead of rising healthcare costs that can add up quickly after an illness or injury. Benefits are paid directly to you, the policyholder, unless otherwise assigned. That means you choose how to use your benefits. Whether you use your benefits to help pay everyday bills, to help cover transportation to receive medical care, to help defray the costs of copayments and deductibles, or to help address any other urgent need, with voluntary insurance, the choice is yours.
To learn more about choosing the right healthcare benefits for you and your family, visit Aflac.com.
 http://about.newsusa.com/article/choosing-health-care-benefits---a-chore-or-a-labor-of-love