(Image by Jafar Ahmed on Unsplash)
Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) said it has launched a vest invented by a nurse to help operating room staff keep their cool.
Jill Byrne came up with the idea to ease the distress of fellow OR clinicians and surgeons caused by excessive heat in the operating room. The CoolSource cooling system is a disposable vest designed to reduce heat-related stress and distractions and help clinicians to focus more on patient care, according to Dublin, Ohio-based Cardinal Health.
Heat can be a problem in operating rooms, caused by temperature and humidity requirements aimed at preventing patient hypothermia and exacerbated by the need to wear several layers of personal protective equipment (PPE). Byrne saw first-hand how heat in the OR affected her team every day, the company said.
The CoolSource vest has pockets for six cooling packs on the abdomen, back and over the shoulders to lower core body temperature and maximize cooling. A nonsterile garment, it is worn underneath PPE.
“I’ve stood side-by-side with over-heated surgeons struggling every day to provide the best patient care possible. This sparked my pursuit to create an intuitive solution — a cooling vest — to help them stay focused,” Byrne said in a prepared statement. “Beyond performance alone, it has been inspiring to witness the positive impact on OR civility due to improved comfort with the vest.”
“Cardinal Health is proud to partner with such an innovative OR nurse to bring a much-needed solution to OR clinicians,” said Emily Gallo, VP of surgical products marketing for Cardinal Health. “Through conversations with customers and advisory boards, Cardinal Health learned that heat in the OR is a widespread and largely unaddressed pain point. We are excited to now offer a practical solution that can have a positive impact on staff’s well-being and performance.”
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