Smiths Medical, Inc. Launches Warming Blanket For Pelvic, Abdominal, And Lower Extremity Surgery Patients

New blanket helps reduce perioperative complications

ST. PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Smiths Medical, a leading global medical device manufacturer, announced today it has launched a new Snuggle Warm® poncho-style convective warming blanket to help maintain a patient’s body temperature before, during, and after surgery.

The Snuggle Warm® poncho blanket is ideal for pelvic, abdominal, and leg surgery because it allows full access to those areas while simultaneously warming the patient’s back, shoulders, and chest. It has pre-opened arm and head openings to save time and effort when placing on a patient, and its two hose ports allow flexible placement of the warming unit. The blanket accommodates both lithotomy and supine positions with arms extended or tucked. In addition, this novel blanket can be reversed for use before or after surgery in warming the front of the patient’s torso as well as the shoulders and upper back. Made of soft, flexible, durable material, Snuggle Warm® blankets conform to patient anatomy for maximum heat retention and comfort, and also resist tears and punctures.

Convective warming blankets are designed to help surgical patients arrive in recovery normothermic (normal body temperature). Unintended Perioperative Hypothermia (UPH) occurs when the body’s temperature falls below 36 degrees C. Research has shown a correlation between UPH and a higher incidence of adverse events in surgical patients:

  • Patients with even mild UPH are three times more likely to acquire surgical site infections than patients with normal temperatures (normothermic).1
  • Adverse outcomes from UPH can result in prolonged hospital stays and increased health expenses of $2,500 to $7,000 per patient.2

1 Kurz A, Sessler DI, Lenhardt R. Perioperative normothermia to reduce the incidence of surgical-wound infection and shorten hospitalization. New England Journal of Medicine 1996;334: 1209- 1215.
2 Mahoney C and Odom J. Maintaining intraoperative normothermia a meta-analysis of outcomes with costs. AANA 1999;67:155-164.

About Smiths Medical
Smiths Medical www.smiths-medical.com is a leading supplier of specialized medical devices and equipment for global markets, focusing on the medication delivery, vital care and safety devices market segments. It is part of Smiths Group www.smiths.com, a global leader in applying advanced technologies for markets in threat and contraband detection, energy, medical devices, communications and engineered components. Smiths Group employs around 23,000 people in more than 50 countries.

Contacts

Smiths Medical
Media Contact:
Jennifer Schroeder, 651-628-7305
jennifer.schroeder@smiths-medical.com

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