Anaesthesia Product News

June 2010, Product News
New One-Piece Laryngeal Airway from Armstrong Medical

The upper airway is one of the most sensitive regions of the body. LaPremiere Plus, the new single use laryngeal airway from Armstrong Medical, has been designed with the utmost sensitivity. The product’s unique features allow ease of insertion, increased level of first-time placements and reduced trauma to soft tissue.

The cuff, back plate and lumen are made as a unique

one-piece design using a liquid silicone, AmSIL, exclusive to Armstrong Medical. This distinct manufacturing process ensures accurate alignment of the airway during insertion and eliminates any risk of cuff/lumen separation on removal, as has been reported recently with alternative airways.

The pilot balloon of LaPremiere Plus acts as an over-pressure indicator thereby avoiding excess intracuff pressure and soft tissue trauma. The airway is available in seven sizes with a range of accessories including colour coded insertion stylets, mask shaping blocks and Secura, our bite guard and fixation device.

LaPremiere Plus is manufactured in Coleraine, Northern Ireland. Not only can we supply you with a unique laryngeal airway but also help reduce your carbon footprint.

Armstrong Medical Ltd
tel: +44 (0)28 7035 6029
web: www.armstrongmedical.net

June 2010, Product News
NEW Mass Flow Meter SFM4100 For Medical Gases

Designed for anaesthesia equipment, the CMOSens® mass flow meter SFM4100 precisely measures air and other non-aggressive gases with an impressively wide dynamic measuring range up to 20 slm. The sensor unit has a digital I2C interface, provides a fully calibrated and temperature-compensated output signal, and operates reliably at pressures of up to 7 bar.

Its outstanding long-term stability makes the SFM4100 first choice for products that require a high rate of deployment with long service intervals. For OEM projects, more than one gas calibration can be stored simultaneously in each sensor device. Self-test features allow testing of the entire signal chain (from capture of the analogue signal through digital signal chain) while the mass flow meter is in use.

Features
Measurement of flow rates from 0 to 20 l/min
No drift
Wide dynamic range
Digital I2C interface
Digitally calibrated & temperature compensated
Multigas Option

Applications
Anaesthesia and other medical instruments
Analytical equipment

Sensirion
tel: +41 44 306 40 00
web: www.sensirion.com
email: info@sensirion.com

June 2010, Product News
SonoSite Point-of-care Ultrasound Systems Hit The Spot in Nottingham

A fleet of SonoSite point-of-care ultrasound systems, including an M-Turbo® and three S-Nerve® instruments, is significantly changing the approach of anaesthetists in regional anaesthesia at the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. Dr Nigel Bedforth, consultant anaesthetist at the QMC campus of the hospital, explained: “Both the M-Turbo and S-Nerve systems have great image resolution, offering excellent visibility of nerve structures. As a result, anaesthetists who are using point-of-care ultrasound are developing better awareness of internal anatomy; we’re realising that a more thorough understanding of muscles, tendons, vessels, bones and other structures is really important for being skilful at finding nerves, rather than relying solely on landmarks. Our SonoSite systems allow us to place nerve blocks more safely and accurately, even, for example, for the more difficult blocks like supraclavicular, which were often previously avoided due to the risk of pneumothorax.”

Dr Bedforth added: “I personally use the M-Turbo for virtually everything I do, while the S-Nerve systems suit less frequent users because they are even easier to use, with a minimum of buttons and controls. We are keen to pass on our techniques to other anaesthetists and, as part of our established relationship with SonoSite, we have jointly run ultrasound-guided anaesthesia courses for a number of years.”

SonoSite
tel: +44 (0)1462 444 800
web: www.sonosite.com

June 2010, Product News
Analogic Launch NEW FlexFocus System

Analogic Corporation, a provider of medical imaging and aviation security technology, has announced the Flex Focus™ 400 Anaesthesia ultrasound scanner, a dedicated ultrasound system for regional anaesthesia designed and manufactured by its BK Medical subsidiary. The Flex Focus 400 Anaesthesia is the newest addition to the state-of-the-art Flex Focus family of products already in use in urology and surgery applications worldwide.

The Flex Focus 400 Anaesthesia has a large, 19-inch screen and uses BK Medical’s proprietary IQPAC™ imaging technology for superior image quality. The large monitor and high-resolution imaging allow a clear view of anatomical structures - needed for precise landmark location and needle guidance in nerve block procedures - from virtually any bedside position and in the operating room.

The system features scanner control through the transducer, enabling the anaesthestist to switch between transducers, freeze and unfreeze images, and store images and clips without being in close proximity to the scanner. In addition, the easy-to-use keyboard control is straightforward with no extraneous controls.

The system is portable, lightweight, and can be adjusted to fit into small spaces, with a keyboard that is sealed and smooth for easy cleaning and disinfection. The innovative design and exemplary functionality of the Flex Focus have earned it a 2010 iF Product Design Gold Award and a 2010 Red Dot Award, two of the most well-recognized international honours for outstanding product design.

Analogic Corporation
tel: +1 978-326-4000
web: www.analogic.com

June 2010, Product News
New Single-Use Laryngeal Mask from Ambu

Ambu is one of the market leaders within development and sales of difficult airway solutions. In order to further strengthen their market position, Ambu has launched Aura-i, the latest member of Ambu Aura family.

Ambu Aura-i combines routine use with direct intubation, so the same mask can be used for standard use and for difficult airways. Aura-i can be used as a guide for endotracheal intubation together with Ambu aScope and standard ET-tubes where unanticipated difficult airways arise and normal intubation is not successful. The mask can also be used with Ambu aScope for anticipated difficult airways where the clinician chooses to establish an airway.

Due to it’s anatomical form the Ambu Aura-i is easy to place and minimises patient discomfort. It maintains high seal pressures over a longer period of time and the novel connector block prevents airway occlusions and ensures rotational stability of the mask.

Ambu Ltd.
tel: + 44 (0)1480 498403
web: www.ambu.co.uk