Envision™ Viral Barriers Enable 100% Gel-Free Ultrasound Procedures

CORALVILLE, Iowa, June 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- CIVCO Medical Solutions, a leader in ultrasound infection control, announces an innovative solution that removes gel from ultrasound procedures. Envision™ viral barriers allow for 100% gel-free procedures.

Envision ultrasound probe covers and scanning pads are activated with a sterile liquid and require no gel, which reduces the risk of contamination, can improve the quality of fine needle aspiration (FNA) specimens, and simplifies clinician workflow.

Ultrasound gel can pose a contamination risk in certain procedures, and multiple clinical studies have shown sterile ultrasound gel to be the cause of healthcare associated infections. Studies report that gel can:

• contribute to increasing nosocomial infection, the spread of hospital acquired infections^1,2,3,4
• cause bacteria to be introduced into the blood stream^3,6
• make the disinfection of sterilization process of devices, including ultrasound probes, less effective⁵

Utilizing Envision during needle-guided interventions, including CVC and PICC procedures, or while scanning non-intact skin eliminates the need for gel and helps reduce the risk of contamination.

Gel is also commonly used during an ultrasound-guided FNA procedure. However, clinical studies have shown the adverse effects ultrasound gel can have on FNA specimens:

• Impairs the visibility of cells and interferes with staining of cells⁷
• Causes a significant increase in the number of slides with artefacts⁷
• Causes widespread cell lysis, increasing the risk of misinterpretation and a false positive diagnosis⁸
• Mimics colloid, creating difficulty in differentiation between artefact and colloid^7,9

Envision covers can help improve the visibility of cells in FNAs by removing gel from these procedures.

Envision viral barriers are available in two configurations: an ultrasound probe cover and a scanning pad. Envision probe covers can be used during ultrasound-guided needle interventions, and the Envision pad adheres to the patient or the ultrasound probe to scan non-intact or sensitive areas, including on neonates or post-surgical wound sites.

The Envision ultrasound probe cover and scanning pad enable physicians and clinicians to simplify workflow throughout a procedure.

• A quick-peel, silicone liner adheres safely to the probe face or to the patient's skin – no gel needed inside the cover or applied to the patient
• Apply a sterile liquid, such as sterile saline, to the Envision cover or pad, or directly on the patient's skin, and begin scanning
• Pre-cleaning of the ultrasound probe is simplified without gel, before sending to high-level disinfection

Eliminate gel and reduce the risk of contamination, improve the visibility of FNA specimens, and simplify workflow with Envision ultrasound probe covers and scanning pads.

Envision is approved by the FDA for use in the United States and available for sale in numerous countries around the globe.

Visit CIVCO.com/envision to learn more.

About CIVCO
CIVCO Medical Solutions has over 35 years of experience and offers cutting-edge medical technology to a diverse group of medical professionals. CIVCO designs and manufactures accessories for use in diagnostic and therapeutic imaging and interventional procedures with a strong focus on ultrasound. CIVCO's specialties include: infection control (ultrasound probe and system covers), high-level disinfection of ultrasound probes, needle and device guidance, electromagnetic needle tracking, and transperineal prostate solutions. Corporate information is available at www.CIVCO.com.

CIVCO operates as a unit of Roper Technologies, a constituent of the S&P 500, Fortune 1000, and the Russell 1000 indices. Roper operates businesses that design and develop software (both license and software-as-a-service) and engineered products and solutions for a variety of niche end markets. Additional information about Roper is available on the Company's website at www.ropertech.com.  

Bibliography

1. Oleszkowicz SC, Chittick P, Russo V, Keller P, Sims M, Band J. "Infections Associated with Use of Ultrasound Transmission Gel: Proposed Guidelines to Minimize Risk" Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology Dec. 2012, vol. 33, no. 12
2. Esteban C. Nannini, Adriana Ponessa, Rosa Muratori, Patricia Marchiaro, Viviana Ballerini, Luis Flynn, Adriana S. Limansky "Polyclonal outbreak of bacteremia caused by Burkholderia cepacia complex and the presumptive role of ultrasound gel" The Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases 2015;19(5);543-545
3. Shaban RZ, Maloney S, Gerrard J, Collignon P, Macbeth D, Cruickshank M, Hume A, Jennison AV, Graham RMA, Bergh H, Wilson HL, Derrington P "Outbreak of health care-associated Burkholderia cenocepacia bacteremia and infection attributed to contaminated sterile gel used for central line insertion under ultrasound guidance and other procedures" AJIC 45 (2017) 954-8
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "Pseudomonas aeruginosa respiratory tract infections associated with contaminated ultrasound gel used for transesophageal echocardiography - Michigan, December 2011-January 2012." MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2012 Apr 20;61:262-4.
5. William A. Rutala, Ph.D., M.P.H.1,2, David J. Weber, M.D., M.P.H.1,2, and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee "CDC - Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities, 2008" https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/disinfection/index.html  
6. Australian Government Department of Health Therapeutic Goods Administration "Safety Advisory – risk of bacterial contamination" 2017 https://www.tga.gov.au/alert/meditech-ultrasound-gel  
7. A. Lalzad, D. Ristitsch, W. Downey, A. F. Little and M. E. Schneider-Kolsky "Effect of ultrasound transmission gel on ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration cytological specimens of thyroid" Cytopathology 2012, 23, 330–333
8. A. J. Molyneux, S. B. Coghill "Cell Lysis Due to Ultrasound Gel In Fine Needle Aspirates; an Important New Artefact In Cytology" Cytopathology 1994 5, 41-45
9. Royer MC, Davidson DD, Dimitrov RK, Kuo CY, Kokaska MS "Ultrasound gel causes fine needle aspiration artifact? A clear choice." Acta Cytol. 2012;56(2):146-54

COPYRIGHT © 2019. CIVCO IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF CIVCO MEDICAL SOLUTIONS. ENVISION IS A TRADEMARK OF CIVCO. ALL PRODUCTS MAY NOT BE LICENSED IN ACCORDANCE WITH CANADIAN LAW. 2019C-3119 REV 1

SOURCE CIVCO Medical Solutions

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