Medical Design and Outsourcing

  • Home
  • Medical Device Business
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Financial
    • Regulatory
  • Applications
    • Cardiovascular
    • Devices
    • Imaging
    • Implantables
    • Medical Equipment
    • Orthopedic
    • Surgical
  • Technologies
    • Supplies and Components Index
    • Contract Manufacturing
    • Components
    • Electronics
    • Extrusions
    • Materials
    • Motion Control
    • Prototyping
    • Pumps
    • Tubing
  • MedTech Resources
    • Medtech Events in 2025
    • The 2024 Medtech Big 100
    • Medical Device Handbook
    • MedTech 100 Index
    • Subscribe to Print Magazine
    • DeviceTalks
    • Digital Editions
    • eBooks
    • Educational Assets
    • Manufacturer Search
    • Podcasts
    • Print Subscription
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Whitepapers
    • Voices
    • Views
    • Video
  • 2025 Leadership
    • 2024 Winners
    • 2023 Winners
    • 2022 Winners
    • 2021 Winners
  • Women in Medtech
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

Zimmer’s Samudio: ‘Crucial For All Healthcare Workers to Work Together’ in Ebola fight

October 20, 2014 By AxoGen, Inc.

In our continuing coverage of how the Ebola virus is affecting medical facilities, Candace L. Samudio, longtime healthcare professional and clinical excellence team leader in the surgical division at Zimmer, provides insight on the importance of surgical helmet systems and stresses the need for ORs and ERs to work together.

Surgical Products: Why is having a Surgical Helmet System with fluid resistant garments so important in the prevention of spreading the Ebola virus?

Candace Samudio: Surgical Helmet System with a one piece, head-to-ankle Toga made of material that has passed AAMI Level 3 testing – meaning it is fluid resistant – better covers exposed areas above the shoulders than the conventional practice of a face shield, goggles, and facemask. Above the shoulder exposure can include the face, neck, mouth, nose, and eyes. If a full length Toga is not available, wearing a Surgical Helmet with a Surgical Hood that is made of material that has passed AAMI Level 3 testing – along with the appropriate PPE gown – better covers exposed areas above the shoulder. When caring for any patient who has a potentially infectious disease, covering exposed areas is ideal.

SP: What safety and infection-control precautions have ORs used that ERs haven’t?

Samudio: OR’s generally follow AORN standards and guidelines. AORN standards may be more stringent in certain areas than house-wide infection control protocols due to the nature of the procedures. For example, in the OR, a team may be operating on a patient who is HIV positive, and therefore certain protocols – especially regarding personal protective equipment and surgical attire – must be perfectly adhered to in order to prevent cross contamination. While ERs also care for HIV positive patients, the nature of the exposure may be different in the OR, hence the stricter standards.

SP: With hospitals across the U.S. scrambling to prepare for a possible Ebola outbreak, why is it so important for ORs and ERs to work together to prevent an outbreak?

Samudio: Infectious disease transmission is a danger for all health care providers, regardless of which area of the hospital they work. Therefore, it’s crucial for all health care workers to come together in a time of crisis and share best practices, especially those who work within the critical care areas of a hospital or healthcare institution. It’s encouraged for anyone who has information that may help in the care of a patient – and the protection of a health care provider – to share what they know.

SP: Has the current outbreak scare affected and/or changed the AAMI Healthcare Gown and Drape standards?

Samudio: While we have designed our Surgical Helmet Systems based on AAMI’s standards, we are not in a position to comment on any changes within AAMI.

Candace L. Samudio is an accomplished healthcare professional with nearly four decades of experience ranging from OR nurse to senior administrator. She currently leads the clinical excellence team in the surgical division of Zimmer, Inc., and resides in Northern California. The opinions are the author’s own.

Related Articles Read More >

This is a screenshot of the remote robotic surgery technical guidelines appearing in the World Journal of Surgery.
New technical guidelines set to advance remote robotic surgery
An illustration of Embolization Inc.'s Nitinol Enhanced Device (NED).
This nitinol vascular embolization device has another shape memory material up its sleeve
A photo of nitinol, a nickel-titanium alloy used for medical devices such as stents, heart valves, catheters and orthopedics.
What is nitinol and where is it used?
A photo of Johnson & Johnson MedTech's Polyphonic-connected Monarch robotics-assisted bronchoscopy system in the lab.
J&J MedTech’s global head of digital wants to fund your AI project
“mdo
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest medical device business news, application and technology trends.

DeviceTalks Weekly

See More >

MDO Digital Edition

Digital Edition

Subscribe to Medical Design & Outsourcing. Bookmark, share and interact with the leading medical design engineering magazine today.

MEDTECH 100 INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.
DeviceTalks

DeviceTalks is a conversation among medical technology leaders. It's events, podcasts, webinars and one-on-one exchanges of ideas & insights.

DeviceTalks

New MedTech Resource

Medical Tubing

MassDevice

Mass Device

The Medical Device Business Journal. MassDevice is the leading medical device news business journal telling the stories of the devices that save lives.

Visit Website
MDO ad
Medical Design and Outsourcing
  • MassDevice
  • DeviceTalks
  • MedTech100 Index
  • Medical Tubing + Extrusion
  • Medical Design Sourcing
  • Drug Delivery Business News
  • Drug Discovery & Development
  • Pharmaceutical Processing World
  • R&D World
  • About Us/Contact
  • Advertise With Us
  • Subscribe to Print Magazine
  • Subscribe to our E-Newsletter
  • Listen to our Weekly Podcasts
  • Join our DeviceTalks Tuesdays Discussion

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media LLC. Site Map | Privacy Policy | RSS

Search Medical Design & Outsourcing

  • Home
  • Medical Device Business
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Financial
    • Regulatory
  • Applications
    • Cardiovascular
    • Devices
    • Imaging
    • Implantables
    • Medical Equipment
    • Orthopedic
    • Surgical
  • Technologies
    • Supplies and Components Index
    • Contract Manufacturing
    • Components
    • Electronics
    • Extrusions
    • Materials
    • Motion Control
    • Prototyping
    • Pumps
    • Tubing
  • MedTech Resources
    • Medtech Events in 2025
    • The 2024 Medtech Big 100
    • Medical Device Handbook
    • MedTech 100 Index
    • Subscribe to Print Magazine
    • DeviceTalks
    • Digital Editions
    • eBooks
    • Educational Assets
    • Manufacturer Search
    • Podcasts
    • Print Subscription
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Whitepapers
    • Voices
    • Views
    • Video
  • 2025 Leadership
    • 2024 Winners
    • 2023 Winners
    • 2022 Winners
    • 2021 Winners
  • Women in Medtech
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe