The 2017 Excellence in Surgical Products Awards will be presented in the November/December issue of Surgical Products. Leading up to the publication of that issue, nominees will be featured on the Surgical Products website. The submission form is available online, and nominees for this year’s awards are accepted through September 29th.
Category: SAFETY
Product description and innovation synopsis:
The Bard-Parker Blade Remover allows surgical team members to safely remove up to five contaminated blades from scalpels without the need to touch a blade, thereby protecting caregivers from sharps injuries. The Blade Remover’s clear lid enables easy counting of used blades, and its adhesive backing secures to any surface, including drapes. In addition, locking tabs prevent blades from being removed from the device, helping to enhance safety.
(Image credit: Aspen Surgical, a Hill-Rom company)
What sets this product apart from others available in the industry?
Compared to the traditional method of removing a scalpel blade from the handle with a needle clamps or forceps, the Blade Remover is designed to be quick and easy to use, while also keeping fingers away from the potentially contaminated blade.
As compared to other blade remover products on the market, our product is designed to be steady, smooth, and intuitive, holding up to 5 blades in one device.
How does this product benefit the surgical team and aid in better outcomes?
Because there has been some resistance to adopting safety scalpels in the operating room, the Bard-Parker team has been focused on other products that can help protect staff in a facility where conventional scalpels are being used. They know that 12 percent of sharps injuries in the OR are occurring when staff is either loading or removing blades from the scalpel handle. Often when removing a blade from the scalpel handle, the blade has been used on a patient, which may put staff at risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens such as HIV and Hepatitis C. With this in mind, they developed the Bard-Parker Blade Remover to allow the OR staff to easily and safely remove a contaminated blade from a scalpel handle without having to touch the blade.
