St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center announced today its implementation of the Welch Allyn FlexiPort™ blood pressure cuffs-the first cuffs designed to work with devices in any patient care area. FlexiPort cuffs connect to virtually any manual or electronic blood pressure device, so patients can be freely moved from room to room, floor to floor and department to department without forcing clinicians to find new cuffs for each different device.

"FlexiPort cuffs make finding, ordering, and using cuffs as simple as they should be," said Steve Meyer, president, US & Canada, and executive vice president at Welch Allyn. "There is currently incredible variability with all the different tube, connector, and cuff styles out there, which causes a tremendous amount of caregiver confusion and leads to excess inventory. By providing a single common connection point between the device and cuff, FlexiPort cuffs can eliminate much of that variability."

The FlexiPort connection is built into every new FlexiPort cuff. St. Joseph's has attached FlexiPort fittings to every device tube in the hospital. The fittings can then snap directly into the FlexiPort connection to eliminate traditional tubes and connectors from the cuffs, while making every cuff work like a one- or a two-tube cuff.

"By standardizing with FlexiPort blood pressure cuffs, we're reducing our cuff part numbers by up to 60 percent," explained David Grygiel, director of materials service for St. Joseph's. "The reduced part numbers mean a reduction in inventory levels-so blood pressure cuffs are easier to find for clinicians and easier to order for purchasing managers."

"Clinicians face enough challenges when they're at work, so we designed a cuff option that actually makes caregivers' lives easier," added Meyer. "FlexiPort removes one of the many problems caregivers face on a daily basis so they can focus on what matters most-their patients."

According to Susan Dubay, senior manager, Clinical, Medical & Scientific Affairs at Welch Allyn, there is a direct correlation between contaminated cuffs and infections.  "Studies show that using one cuff per patient, and adhering to diligent cleaning and disinfection practices, reduces the risk of cross contamination significantly," says Dubay.  "FlexiPort enables a single cuff to be used on multiple devices, so it is no surprise that it has been well received by infection prevention experts across the county and now here in Central New York."

Assigning a FlexiPort cuff to a patient when s/he is admitted to the hospital allows the patient to move freely throughout the facility without having the cuff changed every time the patient is hooked up to a new device, which reduces waste as well as exposure to hospital-borne illness.

"From purchasing to biomedical engineering to infection control, everyone in the hospital appreciates the part number reduction efficiencies and cost savings offered with FlexiPort cuffs," said Sean Karla, product manager at Welch Allyn. "But it's the benefits for clinicians-creating one common connection point and eliminating complex tube and connector variations-that make the cuffs a true hit."

Courtesy of Welch Allyn