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U.S. Medical Schools Encouraged to Adopt Cutting-Edge Vascular Technology

Posted on: Tuesday, 8 January 2008, 09:01 CST

Vidacare announced today the placement of the EZ-IO® product system in a U.S. medical school pre-residency program. Currently, the intraosseous (IO) technology is being used in residency and graduate programs across the country; however, this represents the first time it will be made available before clinical rounds.

Recently the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta began training students on the EZ-IO technology. The power driver and patented needle set is in the curriculum as a part of the Vascular Access Skills Lab offered to third-year medical students.

Typically, medical students concentrate on the ability to place intravenous (IV) lines and central venous catheters (central lines) during vascular access courses. These options allow for fluids and blood products to be administered to critically ill or injured patients; however, in a significant percentage of patients, successfully placing peripheral IVs can be time-consuming or impossible, causing delays in patient care. Until recently, physicians had no option other than placement of a central line in unstable patients with difficult peripheral vascular access.

"In planning a course on vascular access, I wanted the third-year medical students to become comfortable with all the options available to them," stated Barbara Pettitt, MD, assistant professor of surgery in the Emory University School of Medicine. "As a pediatric surgeon for the past 22 years, I've seen a lot of unnecessary trauma occur when overzealous medical personnel have broken bones in children inserting manual intraosseous devices. This power-driven technology is an option for addressing that challenge."

The EZ-IO product system provides a viable alternative to traditional intravenous (IV) access, which is often difficult to obtain in patients whose veins have collapsed as a result of trauma or dehydration. When traditional vascular access is challenging or time consuming, the system enables emergency health professionals to drill inside the bone, providing for the rapid, secure and safe delivery of lifesaving drugs and fluids.

The American Heart Association (AHA) recently revised its guidelines for advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), now recommending IO as the first alternative to IV for cardiac arrest. Previously, the first alternative was endotracheal tube administration of drugs, which many EMS physicians believe is ineffective, according to the AHA.

The product system has been adopted and successfully utilized by approximately 1,800 EMS systems and over 1,400 hospitals across the U.S. and Canada.

About Vidacare Corporation

Vidacare® is the leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of advanced intraosseous (IO) access technology for multiple diagnostic, monitoring and therapeutic applications. The company's initial product line, the EZ-IO® product system by Vidacare, serves the emergent care industry as the world's only lithium-battery powered drill and patented needle set for gaining immediate vascular access when conventional IV access is difficult or impossible. Vidacare's suite of hematology/oncology products includes a power driver and specially-designed needle sets for bone marrow aspiration and biopsy. The OnControl™ Aspiration System by Vidacare represents the first in this series of products and will be commercially available in June 2007. Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, Vidacare was founded in 2001. For more information, visit www.vidacare.com.

Source: Business Wire

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