B. Braun to Distribute BSmart™ Injection Pressure Monitor for Peripheral Nerve Blocks Beginning Q1 2015

BETHLEHEM, Pa., Oct. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- B. Braun Medical Inc. (B.Braun), the market leader in Regional Anesthesia (RA) announced today that it will become the exclusive U.S. distributor of the BSmart™ injection pressure monitor for peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs) from Concert Medical, LLC. BSmart is the first disposable monitor for measuring of injection pressure during administration of PNBs.

"We want to be the customer's first choice for delivering RA safely and effectively," said Joe Cleary, Group Product Director of Pain Control Marketing at B.Braun. "In the coming months, B.Braun will highlight ways to integrate complementary monitoring modalities (injection pressure, ultrasound and stimulation) and share the benefits. We call it ISM, or Injection Safety Monitoring," added Cleary.

Practitioners already document resistance to injection, however, objective pressure monitoring is a relatively new concept.

"Monitoring a clinically relevant and objective pressure in real-time may help prevent an injection into a fascicle or against the epineurium before it occurs," said Jeff Gadsden MD, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at Duke University. "We know in canine sciatic nerves that intraneural needle placement and high injection pressure lead to severe fascicular injury and persistent neurological deficits.¹ We also know that objective pressure monitoring reliably detects needle-nerve contact at 15 psi in 97% of cases in patients undergoing interscalene plexus block.² This is relevant as initiation of flow against the epineurium may result in an intraneural injection or nerve inflammation, and consequent nerve damage," Dr. Gadsden added.

In the past, documentation of the resistance was subjective and relied on the "learned feel" and experience of the provider.

"When injection pressure matters, an objective and quantifiable method of monitoring and documenting injection pressure has the potential to provide more assurance than the subjective syringe-hand-feel technique. When anesthesia providers were asked to perform a simulated injection using a syringe and needle assembly, the perception of appropriate force (pressure) and rate of injection varied widely. These findings indicate that the syringe–feel method of assessing injection force is inconsistent. Furthermore, in a nerve block simulation utilizing actual animal tissue, practitioners were unable to correctly identify intraneural injection by syringe–feel technique," added Dr. Gadsden.^3,4

What to expect at ASA
Visit B.Braun booth #721 at ASA to learn how B.Braun can help improve your patient and facility outcomes with RA.

1. Gain hands on experience with a BSmart simulator, and learn how to integrate pressure monitoring, ultrasound and stimulation modalities as well as the benefits.
2. Visualize Contiplex^® Echo under ultrasound, and gain first-hand experience with Contiplex C, catheter-over-needle system. Learn more about Clinical Product Training, delivered by nationally recognized MD experts.
3. Learn how B.Braun can help consolidate and standardize your RA products.

In addition, attendees will also learn how they can have their compounded drug needs met through an FDA registered 503B CAPS^® outsourcing facility. B.Braun's broad portfolio of RA products, infusion pumps, and anesthesia IV administration sets will also be featured at the booth. This year's ANESTHESIOLOGY™ 2014 annual meeting will be held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, LA, from October 11^th-15^th.

BSmart will be available from B.Braun in Q1 2015. To learn more about B.Braun's activities at ASA, please visit www.BBraunASA.com.

About B. Braun 
B. Braun Medical Inc. (B.Braun), a leader in infusion therapy and pain management, develops, manufactures, and markets innovative medical products and services to the healthcare industry. The Company is committed to eliminating preventable treatment errors and enhancing patient, clinician and environmental safety. Guided by its "Sharing Expertise^®" philosophy, B.Braun continuously exchanges knowledge with customers, partners and clinicians to address the critical issues of improving care and lowering costs.

The B.Braun Group of Companies in the U.S. includes B.Braun, B.Braun Interventional Systems, Aesculap^® and CAPS^®. B.Braun's U.S. headquarters is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The B.Braun Group of Companies employs more than 50,000 employees in more than 60 countries throughout the world. To learn more about B.Braun visit www.BBraunUSA.com.

¹Hadzic A, Dilberovic F, Shah S, Kulenovic A, Kapur E, Zaciragic A, Cosovic E, Vuckovic I, Divanovic K-A, Mornjakovic Z, Thys DM, Santos AC: Combination of intraneural injection and high injection pressure leads to fascicular injury and neurologic deficits in dogs. Reg Anesth Pain Med 2004; 29:417–23
²Gadsden JC, Choi JJ, Lin E, Robinson A: Opening Injection Pressure Consistently Detects Needle–Nerve Contact during Ultrasound-guided Interscalene Brachial Plexus Block: Anesthesiology 2014; 120:1246–53
³Theron PS, Mackay Z, Gonzalez JG, Donaldson N, Blanco R: An animal model of "syringe feel" during peripheral nerve block. Reg Anesth Pain Med 2009; 34:330–2
⁴Claudio R, Hadzic A, Shih H, Vloka JD, Castro J, Koscielniak-Nielsen Z, Thys DM, Santos AC: Injection pressures by anesthesiologists during simulated peripheral nerve block. Reg Anesth Pain Med 2004; 29:201–5

SOURCE B. Braun Medical Inc.