Healthcare Industry News: Hip Fracture
News Release - April 3, 2009
KCI and Carroll Hospital Group Inc. Partner to Help Prevent Pressure Ulcers and Reduce Patient Falls
SAN ANTONIO--(HSMN NewsFeed)--Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (NYSE: KCI ) today announced an exclusive partnership with Carroll Hospital Group Inc. designed to improve the overall safety of patients.Now KCI novel therapies, such as the AtmosAir™ 9000 system, designed with self-adjusting pressure technology, can be combined with the flexible Spirit Select bed. Manufactured exclusively by Carroll Hospital Group Inc., the Spirit Select low bed is the newest product offered by KCI’s Therapeutic Support Systems (TSS) division.
Documented facility case studies have shown that AtmosAir® surfaces help prevent patients from developing pressure ulcers. AtmosAir surfaces are one product in KCI’s portfolio of therapeutic support systems designed to prevent Stage I and II pressure ulcers. These systems utilize a variety of technologies, including air, foam, silicon beads and viscous fluids plus GORE medical fabric for advanced management of the skin microclimate.
“As a leader in therapeutic support systems, we are delighted to partner with the innovative Carroll Hospital Group Inc.,” said Lynne Sly, Global President, Therapeutic Support Systems for KCI. “By joining forces with Carroll Hospital Group Inc., KCI is pleased to offer rental customers a state-of-the-art low bed option which we believe will be highly beneficial to patients and their caregivers. Combined with our differentiated therapeutic mattresses, we will provide a very compelling solution to help ensure patient safety while providing outstanding therapy.”
KCI will be the exclusive rental provider of Carroll Hospital Group Inc. low beds and will offer service agreements on rental and purchased beds. The KCI TSS sales organization will help drive capital sales of the Spirit Select low bed through Carroll Hospital Group Inc. KCI’s launch of the Spirit Select rental program will be phased throughout 2009.
“I am very excited and pleased to partner with KCI,” said Archie Leach, President and CEO of Carroll Hospital Group Inc. “The opportunity to partner with a world class organization such as KCI is a compliment to our company and our products. Through this new partnership our customers will have greater access to two ‘best in class’ products.”
Falls are a serious problem in all health care organizations and account for a significant proportion of injuries to hospitalized patients, long-term care residents, and home care and behavioral health care recipients.1 In acute care facilities, 1 in 5 older patients will fall during their stay,2 and falls account for 75% of inpatient incidents.3 Prevention of pressure ulcers is also a key challenge for both acute and long-term care facilities. Current treatment guidelines emphasize prevention and recommend that support surfaces should play a key role in all prevention strategies.4
1 Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Safety. Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. June 2004. Volume 30, Number 6.
2 “Guideline for the Prevention of Falls in Older Persons”. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Volume 49, Issue 5, page:664-672, May 2001.
3 Cummings SR, Rubin SM, Black D. “The future of Hip Fractures in the United States”. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research Journal. 1990; 252:163-6.
4 Whitney J, Phillips L, Aslam R, et al. Guidelines for the treatment of pressure ulcers. Wound Repair Regen. 2006;14:663-79
About KCI
Kinetic Concepts, Inc. is a leading global medical technology company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of innovative, high-technology therapies and products for the wound care, tissue regeneration and therapeutic support system markets. Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, KCI's success spans more than three decades and can be traced to a history deeply rooted in innovation and a passion for significantly improving the healing - and the lives - of patients around the world.
KCI's three primary businesses include:
Advanced Wound Care - Includes KCI's proprietary Vacuum Assisted Closure®, or V.A.C. ® Therapy System, which has been clinically demonstrated to promote wound healing through unique mechanisms of action while reducing the overall cost of treating patients with complex wounds.
Regenerative Medicine - Represented by KCI's LifeCell business and includes tissue-based products for use in reconstructive, orthopedic and urogynecologic surgical procedures to repair soft tissue defects.
Therapeutic Support Systems - Includes specialty hospital beds, mattress replacement systems and overlays designed to address pulmonary complications associated with immobility, to reduce skin breakdown and assist caregivers in the safe and dignified handling of patients of size.
About Carroll Hospital Group Inc.
Carroll Hospital Group Inc. specializes in manufacturing innovative hospital beds, designed to improve the safety of patients and healthcare workers. The company, headquartered in London, Ontario, Canada has built upon a 35-year history of manufacturing healthcare beds and holds eight issued or pending patents related to low beds designed for use in hospitals.
Spirit Select is a trademark of Carroll Hospital Group Inc. All other trademarks are the property of KCI, its affiliates and licensors.
Source: Kinetic Concepts
Issuer of this News Release is solely responsible for its
content.
Please address inquiries directly to the issuing company.
