BAAR, Switzerland, (thestates.news) Medela AG, today announced the launch of a new US production line of its Vario 18 AC Portable Suction Pumps – up to 10,000 units are to be produced and shipped to the local hospitals and healthcare facilities by August to meet the acute demand. Simultaneously, the company has more than tripled its Swiss production of surgical and airway suction pumps, including Vario 18, Dominant Flex and Basic, since mid-March to address urgent needs in this pandemic crisis.
These devices provide crucial suction and fluid removal during respiratory treatment provided by ventilators and the rapid expansion of the production facilities is intended to help meet the growing and ongoing needs of hospitals and other healthcare facilities across five continents.
Traditionally, hospitals ensure a patient’s airway is clear by utilising suction that relies on central wall piped vacuum. According to information recently published by the National Health Service 1, hospitals should not use piped vacuum to support infectious disease units to reduce the risk of virus spread and cross-contamination. With hospitals and other treatment facilities experiencing overcrowding, added beds, and new layout configurations, there is a need for light-weight, portable, and easy to manoeuvre suction equipment. Additionally, the Medela pumps are equipped with a disposable virus filter and fluid collection system and may reduce the risk of infection for caregivers and patients2.
“Standard of care in the ICU requires each patient to be provided with a single suction device. It is critical not to share suction between patients to avoid cross-contamination and to refrain from wall suction wherever possible, due to concerns about virus transmission. Rather, it requires the provision of portable, reliable and quiet suction equipment to support each individual patient,” says Dr. Stephan Cole, Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, Scotland, and President of the Scottish Intensive Care Society, adding: “With this new reality ahead of us until we have a vaccine, we need to be able to rapidly increase our ICU bed capacity within 2 or 3 weeks of notice. This means we must prepare, plan and stock hardware such as ventilators, suction pumps and monitors to manage for future surges.”(uni) (mediasaheb.com)
