Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1995. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
PR Newswire - 27 December 1995
Cordguard II is a patented concept for a device used by an obstetrician to clamp and cut the umbilical cord and acquire an uncontaminated neonatal blood sample immediately after birth. The single-handed operation is performed in a few seconds while preventing the spraying and splattering of blood when a pressurized cord is cut. There is no other device on the market which can perform all of the functions of Cordguard II.
In normal vaginal births where the mother's placenta has not detached from the uterine wall, blood in the umbilical cord is under pressure at about 65mm Hg. When the cord is cut, blood may spray as far as four to six feet. In a small percentage of cases, blood of unknown infectious status may make contact with a clinician's eyes or uncovered skin. UTMD estimates that the cost to hospitals, averaged over all birth procedures, of diagnostic tests for exposed healthcare workers exceeds $39. Cordguard will sell for $27. Of course, costs are much higher for therapy for those clinicians who actually contract an infection, as in the very unlikely event of HIV infection, for example, where costs exceed $500,000 to treat an infected worker. OSHA regulations state: "All procedures involving blood or other potentially infectious materials shall be performed in such a manner as to minimize splashing, spraying, splattering and generation of droplets of these substances."
Umbilical cord blood is considered valuable and is currently used routinely by over 50% of U.S. hospitals to conduct neonatal diagnostics including blood type, blood count, hemoglobinopathies, infectious disease screening, allergy screening, heavy metal detection and evaluation of metabolic processes. The ease of use of Cordguard II should encourage an even greater percentage of hospitals to obtain blood samples. If only the number of births which used UTMD's Intran intrauterine pressure catheter in the U.S. last year also use Cordguard, the incremental annual sales for UTMD will be $11 million. If all births in the industrialized world are considered, the potential annual market for this device is $300 million. In addition, UTMD believes a next generation device should be designed to obtain larger amounts of cord blood for longer term therapeutic purposes, e.g. harvesting umbilical cord stem cells.
Utah Medical Products, Inc. develops, manufactures, assembles and markets a broad range of medical devices for the invasive monitoring of hospital patient vital signs in critical care and in labor and delivery, as well as specialty products used by Ob/Gyns.
CONTACT: Paul Richins of Utah Medical Products, 801-566-1200/ 09:15 EST
Copyright (c) 1995/PR NewsWire. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Permissions Desk, PR Newswire, 810 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019.
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