Cardinal Health Agrees to Distribute SmartSponge, Safety Sponge
April 3, 2008 - Cardinal Health reached an agreement with ClearCount Medical Solutions to distribute on of the first system cleared by the FDA that integrates both counting and detection for sponge management during surgeries.
Under the terms of the agreement, Cardinal Health will be the primary distributor for ClearCount's patented SmartSponge system to hospitals, surgery centers and other health care distributors in the U.S. The company will offer the SmartSponge system as part of its Presource surgical kits and as a stand-alone offering.
The sponges are permanently affixed with a passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tag smaller than a dime. The SmartBucket display highlights any count discrepancies. If a discrepancy occurs, a SmartWand scan is used to identify any sponges remaining in the patient.
A SmartMat under the patient provides the user with notification that a scan is proceeding properly. As the only system to integrate counting and detection for the purpose of sponge management, the SmartSponge system saves time, prevents unnecessary X-rays, reduces the possibility of user error, minimizes delays in procedures and reduces the hassles associated with count discrepancies.
Cardinal Health has also reached an agreement with SurgiCount Medical Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Patient SafetyTechnologies Inc. make available its patented Safety Sponge System to hospitals and surgery centers across the country. The bar-code system helps operating room staff keep track of items commonly used in surgery.
Cardinal Health will package SurgiCountï¿½s Lap sponges, gauze sponges and OR towels in its Presource surgical kits and trays. The SurgiCount Safety-Sponge System is the only computer-assisted system for counting sponges with FDA clearance, said the company.
For more information: www.cardinalhealth.com