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Inditherm Medical has recently secured their largest ever single order from an NHS hospital, to provide patient warming systems in all their operating theatres. The project includes over 30 complete systems with capability to meet the needs of the full range of different surgical procedures. Implementation will begin in April and will allow all patients undergoing surgery in the hospital concerned to be warmed automatically as soon as they lie on the operating table. It is estimated that the forward-thinking NHS Trust will also realise annual cost savings of around £200,000 and reduce environmental impact at the same time.
The UK government’s regulatory authority NICE, the National Institute for Health & Clinical Excellence, published an official guideline recommending that patients should be actively warmed to reduce the risks known to be associated with hypothermia during surgery. This condition occurs during surgical procedures largely due to the effect of the anaesthetic. Taking active steps to keep patients warm throughout their operation is well-proven to reduce the risk of complications such as wound infections and blood loss. Faster recovery times and shorter hospital stays have also been shown to result from preventing them getting cold.
The cost of implementing the NICE guidelines is proving a challenge for many hospitals in current times of budget constraint. Typically NHS hospitals would see an increased spend of over 100% compared to historic practice and that has influenced decision-making for this project. The Inditherm system means that a hospital can address the requirements laid down by the NICE guideline and at the same time substantially reduce costs. Installing the Inditherm system ensures that every surgical patient can be warmed, at the same running cost as a light-bulb.
Traditional warming technology requires the use of imported disposable blankets and forced warm air blowers to prevent hypothermia, whereas Inditherm supply the only British manufactured product. The company recently received a national award with the product, for delivering sustainability into the NHS. The award recognised the improved clinical care, reduction of costs and significant environmental savings. This hospital should see an immediate and substantial reduction in the amount of clinical waste created, estimated at well over a tonne per year. The very low power usage is set to lower the hospital’s annual electricity consumption by over 25,000 kWh.
Inditherm Chief Executive, Nick Bettles, commented: “This order comes at the end of an exhaustive evaluation and procurement exercise. Inditherm is the only manufacturer of specialist patient warming systems in the UK, and whilst the clinical considerations are always the driving factor behind any decision to change, it is good to find a British technology that delivers financial and environmental savings at the same time. Sometimes customers think the benefits our product can offer are too good to be true, but we have over 50 NHS hospitals using the system now who can confirm that there isn’t a catch. At a time of severe budget constraints we hope that many other NHS Trusts will also take up the opportunity to substantially reduce costs and at the same time measurably improve patient care.”
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