Hill-Rom (NYSE: HRC) today announced the introduction of its new line of safety surgical instruments, including the Bard Parker® SafeSwitch® Disposable Scalpel Handle and Scalpel Handle Cover, as well as the new Bard Parker® Blade Remover. These innovations help protect surgical teams from injuries that may occur before, during and after surgical procedures, and enhance the company’s comprehensive line of surgical blades, scalpels and related accessories.
“Our new surgical instrument line builds on Bard Parker’s 100 years of leadership and innovation,” said Francisco Canal, president, Hill-Rom Surgical Solutions. “Helping to prevent injuries and associated bloodborne pathogen exposure for surgeons and clinical staff during surgical procedures is of critical importance and the driving motivation behind Hill-Rom’s innovations.”
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hospital workers sustain more than 1,000 scalpel injuries per day in the United States,1 events that can cost as much as $3,000 per exposure2 and can lead to lifetime medical costs of more than $1 million for an infected individual.3
The new Bard Parker® line of weighted SafeSwitch® Disposable Scalpel Handles offers surgeons the ability to safely retract, pass and disarm surgical blades in one step, with one hand, helping to prevent sharps injuries. SafeSwitch® Disposable Scalpel Handles offer the convenience of compatibility with a wide range of blades and sizes, expanding Hill-Rom Surgical Solutions’ full range of surgical tools to fit a variety of needs and preferences.
The Bard Parker® Blade Remover allows surgical team members to safely remove up to five contaminated blades per remover without the need to touch the blade, thereby protecting caregivers from sharps injuries. The Blade Remover’s clear lid allows for easy counting of used blades and its adhesive backing secures to any surface, including drapes. In addition, locking tabs prevent blades from being removed from the device, helping to enhance safety.
About Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc.
Hill-Rom (NYSE: HRC) is a leading global medical technology company with more than 10,000 employees worldwide. We partner with health care providers in more than 100 countries, across all care settings, by focusing on patient care solutions that improve clinical and economic outcomes in five core areas: Advancing Mobility, Wound Care and Prevention, Patient Monitoring and Diagnostics, Surgical Safety and Efficiency and Respiratory Health. Hill-Rom’s people, products and programs work towards one mission: Every day, around the world, we enhance outcomes for patients and their caregivers. Visit www.hill-rom.com for more information.
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1. Panlilio AL, Cardo DM, Campbell S, Srivastava PU, Jagger H, Orelien JG et al. Estimate of the annual number of percutaneous injuries in U.S. healthcare workers [Abstract S-T2-01]. In: Program and abstracts of the 4th International Conference on Nosocomial and Healthcare-Associated Infections; Atlanta, March 5-9, 2000:61.
2. United States General Accounting Office. Occupational safety: selected cost and benefit implications of needlestick prevention devices for hospitals. GAO-01-60R; November 17, 2000.
3. F. Hellinger and J. Fleishman, “Estimating the National Cost of Treating People With HIV Disease: Patient, Payer, and Provider Data,” Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, Vol. 24 (2000), pp. 182-88
