The Need:

Hypothermia is the third most serious condition of all trauma patients, and 65% of all surgical patients experience hypothermia, due to the use of anesthetics and cold intravenous fluids. On the other hand, maintaining a surgical patient's normal body temperature has been shown to reduce infection, speed healing, shorten hospital stays, and reduce the chance of serious heart injury. Additionally, patients experience much less discomfort and shivering when warm fluids are infused (patient comfort). Even with the current, overwhelming evidence proving the clinical benefits of fluid warming, only approximately 4% of the 45 million hospital infusions were warmed last year, and almost none of the 4 million Pre-Hospital EMS infusions were warmed.

The Solution:

Estill Medical Technologies originally developed the Thermal Angel for use by paramedics to help prevent hypothermia under adverse field conditions such as those accompanying a vehicle accident. However, since the need for temperature management investigation began, the potential uses have expanded significantly.  Other identified needs exist where IVs are started in trauma and acute care centers, emergency rooms, burn centers, operation rooms, recovery rooms, neo-natal, pediatrics and geriatric care units, diagnostic procedures, such as peritoneal lavage, peritoneal dialysis, chemotherapy and for irrigation required during many different procedures. Continuous arterio-venous rewarming is being used in isolated cases to warm patients during surgery, and uses bulky and expensive equipment with many limitations.  The Thermal Angel's features and benefits allow the caregiver to expand their ability to provide warm fluids in environments that have historically never been serviced.

Areas of Use Include:

• Military and Government
• Hospital
• Pre-Hospital
• Specialties