Medline Industries, Inc. Expands Urological Portfolio With Addition of New Temperature Sensing Foley Catheters

MUNDELEIN, IL--(Marketwire - May 31, 2011) - With medical evidence indicating that critically ill patients are at high risk for temperature disorders and show a predisposition for infection(1), Medline Industries, Inc. today announced a new Temperature Sensing Foley Catheter product line that enables clinicians to accurately monitor core body temperature and urinary output in addition to facilitating urine drainage. The 400-series temperature sensing Foley catheter is 100% silicone and available in sizes 8-18Fr with ±0.2° C accuracy.

Compatible with most patient monitors, anesthesia machines and hypothermia units from GE, Philips, Siemens and others, the new catheter is available both single sterile and as a part of Medline's revolutionary ERASE CAUTI Tray. The temperature sensing ERASE CAUTI system features an innovative one-layer tray design, tools for aseptic technique, charting aids, educational patient care card, securement device, urine meter and a 100% silicone temperature sensing Foley catheter with moisture-resistant connector.

In 2009, CMS adopted SCIP-Inf-10, which requires maintaining a 36° body temperature during surgeries lasting 60 minutes or more and where general or neuraxial anesthesia is used. Maintaining normothermia helps avoid SSIs(2), cardiac events(3), bleeding(4), longer recovery times(5) and longer drug onsets and durations(6).

Temperature is one of the four basic vital signs. When abnormal, it may indicate systemic infection, inflammation or another thermoregulatory issue. The ability to use a temperature-sensing catheter to measure both urine output and continuous body temperature is a distinct advantage, eliminating the need to measure temperature at other body locations.

In the ICU, monitoring temperature provides diagnostic clues for detecting infections and other conditions, as well as indicating a reaction (or non-reaction) to treatments. Careful temperature monitoring in therapeutic hypothermia is important because the greatest patient benefit often occurs within a narrow temperature range. Bladder temperature probe enables continuous monitoring and feedback in conjunction with hypothermia devices. Other techniques, including intermittent tympanic temperature measurements, are less reliable.

References

(1) Irwin, Richard and James Rippe. Procedures, techniques, and minimally invasive monitoring in intensive care medicine. 4th. Philadelphia: Lippincot, Williams & Wilkens, 2008. 272. Print.
(2) Kurz A, Sessler DI, Lenhardt R. Perioperative normothermia to reduce the incidence of surgical wound infection and shorten hospitalization. N Eng J Med 1996; 334(19): 1209-1215. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8606715. Accessed January 19, 2011.
(3) Frank SM, Fleisher LA, Breslow MJ, et al. Perioperative maintenance of normothermia reduces the incidence of morbid cardiac events. JAMA 1997; 277: 1127-1134. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed.
(4) Schmied H, Kurz A et al. Mild hypothermia increases blood loss and transfusion requirements during total hip arthroplasty. The Lancet1996; 347 (8997); 289-292. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed.
(5) Lenhardt R, Marker E, Goll V, et al. Mild intraoperative hypothermia prolongs postanesthetic recovery. Anesth. 1997; 87(6):1318-1323. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed. Accessed January 19, 2011.
(6) Heier T, Caldwell JE, Sessler DI, et al. Mild interoperative hypothermia increases duration of action and spontaneous recovery of vecuronium blockade during nitrous oxide-isoflurane anesthesia in humans. Anesth. 1991; 74(5):815-819. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed.

About Medline Industries, Inc.
Medline, the nation's largest privately held manufacturer and distributor of healthcare products, manufactures and distributes more than 125,000 products to hospitals, extended care facilities, surgery centers, home care dealers and agencies. Headquartered in Mundelein, IL, Medline has more than 1,100 dedicated sales representatives nationwide to support its broad product line and cost management services.

Over the past five years, Medline has been the fastest growing distributor of medical and surgical supplies in the U.S., serving as the primary distributor to over 450 major hospitals and healthcare systems. As a leading distributor, Medline offers a comprehensive array of consulting and management services encompassing the supply chain and logistics, utilization and standardization, business tools and enhanced reporting capabilities, and on-staff clinicians.