Instrument Shields Against Delivery Room Pathogens

A new all-in-one instrument shields against blood sprays and blood-borne pathogens in the delivery room.

A new study has shown that exposure to potential blood-borne pathogens in hospital delivery rooms during the cutting of the umbilical cord is far more common than previously realized. An examination of face shields from medical teams showed personnel were five times more likely to be sprayed in the face with umbilical cord blood when using the combination of surgical scissors and multiple clamps than when using a new all-in-one instrument that shields against blood spray. Nurses and other ancillary members of the delivery team were found to be at a greater risk of getting sprayed in the face with cord blood than the doctor performing the delivery.

Called the Joey Clamp & Cutter, the instrument is a combined cutting and clamping tool that allows for one-handed operation. The instrument, the product of Maternus Medical (San Antonio, TX, USA), won an IDEA (Industrial Design and Excellence Award) for medical innovation in June 2003. The awards are sponsored by the US Industrial Designers Society of America and BusinessWeek magazine.

"This device allows for a safer environment for everyone involved in the delivery,” said Wendell Winters, Ph.D., a teaching and research professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio (TX, USA), who conducted the study.




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