Bicester, UK: Cherwell Laboratories, specialists in products for environmental monitoring and process validation, has introduced DataTrace^® Pro (DT Pro) integrated software for use with DataTrace wireless data-loggers for critical manufacturing and validation applications. DT Pro offers users greater insight and productivity through the simple creation of process reports to enable analysis and understanding of data whilst complying with regulatory requirements.

DT Pro software is equipped with time-saving features, such as shortcuts to minimise key strokes, intuitive screens and batch functions. New reporting capabilities allow for simplified and customised reporting where field calibrations, logger battery changes and data logging events are automatically incorporated into the audit trail. DT Pro also offers improved password protection and administrative security options, such as electronic signatures and data encryption to ensure FDA 21 CFR Part 11 or GxP compliance.

“The DataTrace Pro software is specifically designed to make our customers’ validation and process reporting easier,” said Andrew Barrow, Sales Manager at Cherwell Laboratories. “It offers greater efficiency by enabling easy data collection and analysis with clear presentation.”

Cherwell Laboratories supplies the complete DataTrace range of fully patented, high-precision data logging systems. Since no wiring is required, they can be used to measure temperature, humidity and pressure directly inside a process or a product during manufacturing with minimal production downtime. DataTrace wireless data loggers are rated as “intrinsically safe” and can operate over a wide temperature range. From chilling, freezing and room temperature to pasteurisation, EtO or steam sterilisation and depyrogenation, DataTrace data loggers provide highly accurate data with remarkable ease.

For more information about Cherwell Laboratories, DataTrace and DataTrace Pro software upgrade, please visit www.cherwell-labs.co.uk or follow @CherwellLabs.

Blackpool, UK: CME Medical, the UK’s fastest growing specialist infusion company, has partnered with InterVene Ltd to meet the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) guidelines for safer neuraxial devices by adopting the Surety^® non-Luer connector. From 1 April 2013, all epidural, spinal and regional anaesthesia infusions and bolus doses should be performed with devices that will not also connect with intravenous equipment¹. This will prevent fatal mix-ups with intravenous and spinal routed medicines. All CME Medical epidural administration sets will incorporate InterVene Surety connectors designed to minimise wrong route errors, thereby ensuring NPSA compliance.

The BodyGuard^TM 545 Epidural Infusion Pump from CME Medical already addresses all of the recommendations raised by the NPSA in their briefings on epidural safety. However, the addition of Surety to this system places the BodyGuard at the leading edge of safer epidural infusion technology. The system also offers the flexibility to connect to a variety of spinal and epidural kits that have also adopted the Surety system.

Surety is an innovative non-Luer, neuraxial system designed by InterVene, an award-winning UK syringe manufacturer. Surety products have been fully validated and are already widely used within many products in the NHS Supply Chain for a variety of applications by companies including:  Sarstedt, Pajunk, Blue Box Medical, B Braun, Vygon and Rocket Medical.

“We are delighted to be partnering with CME – one of the leading suppliers of epidural infusion systems.” said Matt Root, Managing Director of Intervene. “I believe that InterVene and our partners, such as CME Medical, are well positioned to respond to the inevitable clamour for non‐Luer products when the NPSA¹ deadline arrives. By developing strategic partnerships with established device manufacturers, we have been able to accelerate the introduction of the Surety system and broaden the choice of safer products available in the market. Uptake of Surety in hospitals has been impressive. The NPSA alert is yet to kick in and already over 70 UK hospitals have converted from Luer to Surety.”

“CME Medical is committed to patient safety and we always aim to ensure all of our infusion products fully comply with the recommendations of the NPSA,” confirmed Andrew Churnside, Sales and Marketing Director of CME Medical. “By partnering with InterVene we are confident that we fully comply with NPSA/2009/PSA004A-B to minimise wrong route medication incidents.”

For more information, please visit the CME Medical website at www.cmemedical.co.uk.

You can view the release online here.

References:

1        Patient Safety Alert – NPSA/2009/PSA004A-B

Blackpool, UK: CME Medical, the UK’s fastest growing specialist infusion company, has today announced that it will be attending the annual British Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM), 24^th-27^th April 2012, stand 24. Held at the ACC/BT Convention Centre, Liverpool, CME Medical will be showcasing its extensive and well-established range of pain management pumps.

CME Medical will be presenting its BodyGuard range of pumps at the event, including the 595^TM Regional Analgesia Infusion Pump for nerve block and wound infiltration; the 575^TM Pain Management Infusion Pump for Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA) and the 545^TM Epidural Infusion Pump. Also on display will be the TPCA Pain Management Syringe Pump for portable PCA and the T34™ and T60™ Ambulatory Syringe Pumps for simple administration of medication in both in- and out-patient environments.

“The British Pain Society ASM is an important annual event in the CME Medical calendar,” said Andrew Churnside, Sales and Marketing Director at CME Medical. “Not only does it allow us to strengthen our relationship with the British Pain Society, it also provides a valuable opportunity to network with our customers and peers, in line with our customer-focused ethos.”

The ASM attracts an average of over 800 healthcare professionals and offers a series of lecture, workshop and seminar topics where attendees are encouraged to network with other like-minded professionals, raise questions and meet with exhibitors to discuss the latest research and product offerings.

For more information, please visit the CME Medical website at www.cmemedical.co.uk.

You can view this release online here.

Blackpool, UK: CME Medical, the UK’s fastest growing infusion company, is pleased to announce that is has recently sponsored the Educator of the Year Award at the 2012 International Journal of Palliative Nursing (IJPN) Awards. Hosted in collaboration with Macmillan Cancer Support, the awards were held at the Honourable Artillery Company Museum, London on 29^th March 2012.

The aim of the awards is to recognise excellence in palliative care, demonstrating quality, dedication and innovation in service to patients, with the award categories reflecting the range of activities and individuals involved. This year, the Educator of the Year award recognised individuals who have significantly contributed to the expansion of palliative nursing knowledge through new educational strategies and materials. As a result, this year’s award was presented to Molly Carlile from Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia and Honor Nichol from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.

Molly Carlile lives her motto ‘The more we talk, the less we fear’, by encouraging informed conversations about death and grief in order to demystify and de-stigmatise these experiences.  In doing so, Molly has initiated a number of projects to engage and empower communities to deal more openly with terminal illness.

Honor Nichol has influenced care for children and their families through clinical practice, research and education. Following a review of the education programmes in children’s palliative care in Ireland, and having secured funding from the Irish Hospice Foundation, Honor developed a masters-level interdisciplinary programme that ran for the first time in the current academic year.

“We believe that education is the key to success in any clinical environment, which is why we chose to sponsor this important award category,” said Andrew Churnside, Sales and Marketing Director at CME Medical. “We are advocates of high quality clinical education and our skilled team works closely with our customers to ensure that their training needs are met to a high standard.”

For more information, please visit the CME Medical website at www.cmemedical.co.uk.

You can view this release online here.

Northampton, UK: HORIBA Medical today announced the publication online of a scientific validation study¹ of its new HemaCAM^® computer-assisted microscopy module for fully automated analysis of blood smears. Published online as a poster presentation, the study was undertaken at the Saint-Joseph Saint-Luc Hospital (Lyon, France). It found that the HemaCAM^® slide digitalisation system offered new functionalities compared to those of existing systems for automated cell image acquisition and identification.

The study evaluated HemaCAM^®’s ability to automatically acquire and recognise cell images from blood smears in order to assess its performance in normal cell identification. It also assessed its capability of discriminating between normal and abnormal cells. To do this, laboratory experts created a standardised database of seven WBC subpopulations of the 18 available within HemaCAM^®: polynuclear neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, as well as nuclear shadows and large platelets. The sensitivity and specificity of HemaCAM^® in recognising and correctly classifying cells into the seven enriched subpopulations was then calculated, demonstrating good precision.

The study also concluded that HemaCAM^® is very intuitive and user-friendly, whilst the quality of its optical components, combined with a good depth of field, creates a remarkable final image resolution. Furthermore, as part of the HORIBA Medical HaemCell integrated haematology solution, the combination of HemaCAM^® slide digitalisation with a platform for haematological analysis (ABX Pentra DX120) and data management (ABX Pentra ML) ensures secure and traceable laboratory workflow.

Recently launched, HemaCAM^® significantly reduces the laboratory work load and simplifies the creation of a quick and objective differential blood count even for more unusual blood samples, through its fully automated analysis of stained blood smears. It also has the ability to digitally store all images and differential results in a comprehensive evolutionary adaptable database that is fully traceable and searchable.  The database can be customised to suit every laboratory’s specific needs and requirements.

For more information please visit www.horiba.com/uk/medical

Reference:

1      HemaCAM®, a novel self-learning automated digitalisation module, part of the HaemCell solution

(http://tinyurl.com/HORIBAMedicalUK)

Northampton, UK: As part of the NHS Improvement ‘Bringing Lean to Life’¹ initiative, Path Links NHS Pathology Service has recently presented on its successful implementation of a LEAN work cell based approach within its Blood Science laboratories. At the 10^th Annual Frontiers in Laboratory Medicine (FiLM 2012), NHS Improvement facilitated a session on ‘Embedding the Culture of Improvement’. Here Mick Chomyn from Path Links NHS Pathology Service presented ‘LEAN Work Cells’ – Automation is not always the answer’², demonstrating how efficient work cells improved turnaround times and reduced staff costs without the need for expensive track.

Path Links has applied LEAN methodology to optimise processes and layout in its clinical laboratories and subsequently ensure that the best equipment fitting the optimised processes was utilised. This has cost effectively delivered an enhanced service to hospitals and Primary Care across Lincolnshire. As well as ensuring faster turnaround times, higher productivity and efficiency, LEAN work cells have increased flexibility, improved space utilisation and quality.

The HORIBA Medical range of automated haematology analysers is ideal for LEAN working. Key attributes ensuring efficient workflows include: automated random access, reflex testing, automatic re-runs and integrated solutions, such as sample management, as well as slide preparation and staining systems. Also supporting optimised LEAN work cell layout, HORIBA Medical’s high throughput solutions are compact in design with inbuilt compressors, enabling them to be trolley mounted and readily moved should changes to work processes require rapid laboratory reconfiguration.

In addition to its ‘LEAN Work Cell’ presentation at FiLM 2012, Path Links NHS Pathology Service has also published, in collaboration with HORIBA Medical, a LEAN white paper ‘TLA – The LEAN Alternative’³ detailing how the Service has achieved a “total LEAN solution” as an alternative to total laboratory automation.

For more information please visit www.horiba.com/uk/medical

Press release link: http://www.horiba.com/uk/medical/news-events/news/article/lean-work-cell-success-highlighted-within-nhs-improvement-film-2012-session-18777/

References:

1              NHS Improvement. ‘Bringing Lean to Life – Making processes flow in healthcare ‘. May 2010

2              Chomyn, M. ‘LEAN Work Cells – Automation is not always the answer’.  Presentation at FiLM 2012

3              Chomyn, M. and Fottles, M. ‘TLA – The ‘Lean’ Alternative’.  HORIBA Medical White Paper, May 2011

Slough, UK: PENTAX UK, experts in high definition endoscopy, has recently provided the stroboscopy equipment used in the filming of an item for The One Show about how singers such as Mariah Carey can reach high notes. By using a flexible KayPENTAX strobe system, including flexible scopes, it is possible to see a singer’s vocal cords in detail not previously achievable. Presented by Carrie Grant of Pop Idol fame, the segment aired on Thursday 15^th March 2012.

Filmed at BMI Sarum Road Hospital in Winchester, PENTAX UK was invited to supply a KayPENTAX Strobe System with a VNL-1190STK Video Nasendoscope by Mr Nimesh Patel, ENT consultant at University Hospital Southampton, a long time user of PENTAX and KayPENTAX equipment. A student volunteer from Winchester University’s BA(Hons) Vocal and Choral Studies course underwent the procedure.

Mr Patel commented: “We wanted to examine at a laryngeal level, what happened when the voice was used in certain ways. In the past, we would have had to use a rigid scope through the mouth, which limits the actions or sounds a patient can make. The flexible KayPENTAX scopes with 5-microsecond flashes to freeze the vocal cords offer the ideal technique for an examination such as this. As a result, we’ve now got some excellent images of the larynx being put through its paces.”

For more information please visit www.pentax.co.uk.

Dundee, Scotland: Scottish Parliament recently debated the growing prevalence of pernicious anaemia, a chronic illness caused by impaired absorption of Vitamin B12, and other Vitamin B12 deficiencies and expressed concern about the lack of reliable tools to aid in the diagnosis of both conditions.  Vitamin B12 deficiency poses a significant public health problem, affecting more than 100,000 Scots, and is especially common in elderly populations.  Although the deficiency can be treated with Vitamin B12 supplements, it has been associated with the development of neurodegenerative conditions, some of which may be irreversible, and early detection can play a critical role in preventing permanent neurological damage. While current methods for diagnosing B12 deficiencies have shown themselves to be unreliable and may fail to identify as many as 50% of deficient patients, Axis-Shield Limited, an international provider of in vitro diagnostics that is part of Alere Inc., has developed an innovative new product, Active-B12, to address these diagnostic gaps. It was revealed during the parliamentary debate that Active-B12 offered superior accuracy compared to the other available blood tests for the diagnosis of B12 deficiency.  Additionally, all of the speakers who participated in the debate urged general practitioners and health boards to adopt Active-B12 as their primary diagnostic tool for these cases, and data from several recent publications support the view that Active-B12 is the most effective front-line assay for the diagnosis of B12 deficiency.

“We are pleased that Scottish Parliament understands the serious risks pernicious anaemia and Vitamin B12 deficiency pose to public health,” said Colin King, a managing director from Axis-Shield. “We are also encouraged by the fact that Parliament recognizes the promise of Axis-Shield’s Active-B12 test for diagnosing these diseases as well as its superiority to other accepted diagnostic methods, which have proven to be ineffective in identifying significant portions of the B12-deficient population. We remain committed to expanding the test’s availability through further licensing arrangements, especially as commercial interest continues to grow.”

Today, the Active-B12 test (HoloTranscobalamin) is available globally through Abbott Diagnostics and run on Abbott’s AxSYM^® and Architect platforms.  Axis-Shield plans to launch an ELISA-based (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) format within the next few weeks.  More details are available at www.active-b12.com.

Slough, UK: PENTAX Life Care, experts in high definition endoscopy, has introduced the EPK-i5000 video processor, the latest development in high definition endoscopic imaging. Combining high illumination, HD+ resolution and PENTAX’s advanced i-scan image processing technology, the EPK-i5000 ensures excellent endoscopic imaging and outstanding precision when assessing surface structures. This supports faster, more accurate diagnoses for routine applications through to challenging examinations.

For those endoscopists using i-scan as part of their daily clinical routine, the EPK-i5000 features 3 pre-set buttons, assigned to the recommended profiles of Surface Enhancement (SE) and Tone Enhancement (TE). Simply at the touch of a button, users benefit from clearly defined i-scan settings designed to support the endoscopic pathway of detection, demarcation and characterisation.

When the new video processor is used in combination with PENTAX’s 90i series endoscopes, the HD+ images provide the highest endoscopic image resolution available. This delivers enhanced visibility of vessel architecture, miniscule structures, identification of margins or lesions and improved pit pattern classifications.

“The PENTAX package brings together all essential elements required to make our endoscopy offering the best in the market; the introduction of the EPK-i5000 addresses our customers’ needs and makes operation of i-scan quick and comfortable,” said David Moore, Managing Director, PENTAX UK Ltd. “PENTAX has taken great strides in the field of HD+ imaging in order to provide the highest definition resolution available, and,  with our built in i-scan technology clinicians have experienced an increase in overall polyp and adenoma detection rates¹.”

For more information please visit www.pentax.co.uk or call PENTAX UK Ltd on + 44 (0)1753 792733.

Reference:

1. “High-Definition Colonoscopy Combined with i-scan Imaging Technology is Superior in the Detection of Adenomas and Advanced Lesions compare to High-Definition Colonoscopy Alone.” Gagovic V. et al, Abstract DDW, 2011.

Bicester, UK: Cherwell Laboratories, specialists in products for environmental monitoring and process validation, has announced the availability of its 2012-2013 price list for its Redipor^® Prepared Media product portfolio. To request a copy click: http://www.cherwell-labs.co.uk/contact-form.html.

Cherwell manufactures Redipor ready-to-use culture media in a variety of formats, including petri dishes, contact plates, bottled media, broth bags and ampoules, plus an extensive selection of gamma irradiated media. The range is suitable for a wide array of applications, including environmental monitoring, sterility testing of products, operator validation and process validation.

The Redipor price list includes a selection of the most commonly requested media types, many of which are available from stock for next day delivery. Cherwell’s ISO9001 accredited manufacturing processes can also produce custom media varieties, quantities and packaging solutions ‘to order’. Each batch of Redipor prepared media passes through extensive quality control testing prior to being released to customers,   to assure Redipor’s suitability for use within critical areas.

“We have many years of expertise in developing and manufacturing microbiological media, over this time our Redipor brand has built a strong reputation for providing high quality products with a flexible and efficient service,” said Andy Whittard, Managing Director at Cherwell. “Specific customer requirements can be made to order, with short lead times and small minimum order requirements, allowing us to best meet the needs of individual customers.”

For more information about Cherwell Laboratories, please visit www.cherwell-labs.co.uk or follow @CherwellLabs on Twitter.