PleuraFlow Captures Prestigious Innovation Award

TUCSON, Ariz., June 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The PleuraFlow™ Active Tube Clearance™ System has been recognized as one of the winners of the 49th Annual R&D 100 Awards, which salute the 100 most technologically significant products introduced into the marketplace over the past year. A full list of this year's winners is available at www.rdmag.com. This award comes on the heels of winning a 2011 MDEA Gold award, as well as ID Design Distinction recognition and the European Association of Cardiothoracic Surgeons (EACTS) Techno Innovation awards.

As the first chest tube with a mechanism for actively clearing blood clots, the PleuraFlow Active Tube Clearance System represents the most significant innovation in chest tubes in half a century. The PleuraFlow Active Tube Clearance System incorporates a metal loop at the end of a guide wire inside the tube. A guide sleeve outside the tube is connected via magnetic coupling to the guide wire. Clots can be cleared, without breaking the sterile field, by shuttling the guide sleeve back and forth along the tube. The device was designed and developed by Clear Catheter Systems and Carbon Design Group. Xeridiem designed and developed the manufacturing process as well as manages logistics including order fulfillment.

"The PleuraFlow Active Tube Clearance System is being used in the US, EU, and Canada to help patients recover from heart surgery safely and comfortably. We appreciate the contribution from Carbon and Xeridiem to help us bring this product to market," said Edward Boyle, the CEO of Clear Catheter Systems.

"This award demonstrates our ability to work closely with medical innovators to bring novel products to market quickly, effectively, and on budget," said Joseph Lee, Xeridiem's President.

The R&D 100 Awards have long been a benchmark of excellence for industry sectors as diverse as telecommunications, high-energy physics, software, manufacturing, and biotechnology. Since 1963, the R&D 100 Awards have identified revolutionary technologies newly introduced to the market. Many of these have become household names, helping shape everyday life for many Americans. These include the flashcube (1965), the automated teller machine (1973), the halogen lamp (1974), the fax machine (1975), the liquid crystal display (1980), the Kodak Photo CD (1991), the Nicoderm anti-smoking patch (1992), Taxol anticancer drug (1993), lab on a chip (1996), and HDTV (1998).

Winners of the R&D 100 Awards are selected by an independent judging panel and the editors of R&D Magazine. The publication and its online portal serve research scientists, engineers, and other technical staff members at high tech industrial companies and public and private laboratories around the world.

Winners will be recognized at the R&D 100 Awards Banquet on Oct. 13, 2011, in Orlando, Fl. A list of winning innovations is on the R&D 100 Awards website, www.rdmag.com. Additional information, including registration for the Orlando event, will be available at that website on July 1, 2011.

High resolution images available for download at www.carbondesign.com/press/pleuraflow

Embeddable animation available on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMdRyJheS0o

About Xeridiem

Xeridiem is a designer, developer and manufacturer of complex, single use medical devices. For over 25 years, Xeridiem has enabled major companies and venture-backed entrepreneurs to launch over 200 medical devices that have become standards of care.

Xeridiem orchestrates medical device development with an emphasis on design for manufacturability. Our services help clients to bridge the gap between concept and commercialization. Whether you are an established medical device company or just getting started, we offer a full menu of services designed to simplify your life. We have a track record of on-time, on-budget project completion; no surprises. Xeridiem is backed by the financial strength of Fenner plc, the parent company and is ISO 13485:2003 certified, FDA registered. Learn more about Xeridiem at www.xeridiem.com

About Clear Catheter Systems, Inc.

Clear Catheter Systems is a Bend, Oregon-based medical device company developing an anti-clogging platform of surgical drainage devices. Its lead product is the PleuraFlow Active Tube Clearance System, which addresses the problem of chest tube clogging after heart and lung surgery. In addition, Clear Catheter has a pipeline of products based on its proprietary tube clearance technology to treat tube clogging in other medical market segments, including a system for the urinary catheter drainage market, the enteral feeding sector as well as systems for standard surgical drains. (www.clearcatheter.com) www.pleuraflow.com

About Carbon Design Group

Carbon Design Group is a full-service product development consultancy based in Seattle, Washington. Carbon delights clients by blending insightful research, thoughtful design, and end-to-end engineering expertise. We apply informed intuition and inspired ingenuity to create stand-out products and experiences that connect. Our holistic approach minimizes risk, speeds time to market, and delivers results that resonate. Carbon is widely recognized for innovation and for the development of iconic product families. Our portfolio of clients includes GE, Intel, Medtronic, Microsoft, Panasonic, Philips, Xbox, and many more. To learn more, visit www.carbondesign.com.

Renae Moomjian
Xeridiem Medical Devices
[email protected]
1 520 882 7794 x173

SOURCE Xeridiem Medical Devices, Inc.