Prescription for improved IV pole: Innovative IV pole utilizing polycarbonate resin blend from Bayer enhances patient and health care worker safety

ANAHEIM, Calif., Feb. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- While health care and medical technology have made great strides over the years, there is one aspect of patient care that has not changed as rapidly: the IV pole. 

Because of its design, the traditional IV pole can cause tripping and other safety hazards for patients and health care workers. Designed by a patient, Safepole is an innovative IV pole that incorporates numerous safety and ergonomic features that help reduce accidents and injuries, make cleaning easier, and improve the quality of life for both patients and hospital staff. Safepole has earned several accolades, including the Gold Winner of the 2012 Medical Design Excellence Award and a finalist in the 2012 Spark Design Awards.

Several of Safepole's distinctive elements are injection molded from Bayblend^® FR3010 polycarbonate/acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (PC/ABS) resin blend provided by Bayer MaterialScience LLC. This grade of Bayblend^® resin blend provides strength for many of Safepole's accessories, including an oxygen tank holder, a large utility basket with an easy-to-grip handlebar, a router to organize IV tubes, brackets to mount a hospital-grade power strip, and a dome that covers the wheels to help eliminate tripping and prevent tubes from entangling in the wheels.

"We expect the Safepole to have a long life. To achieve this, we need materials that can withstand the everyday wear and tear of the hospital unit," said Cari Ugent, founder and president of Safepole LLC. "Additionally, because we can color match Safepole to a hospital's color scheme, finding a plastic that could be combined with colorant was also important."

"Bayblend^® FR3010 PC/ABS resin blend was the prescription needed to meet Safepole's stringent requirements," said Bruce Fine, market segment leader – medical, North America, Bayer MaterialScience LLC. According to Fine, this strong, impact-resistant, chemical-resistant and flame-retardant plastic also offers ease of processing and the ability to be easily color matched to a hospital or other medical setting. Furthermore, Bayer was able to offer technical assistance and information on how best to use brass inserts within the plastic to mount necessary equipment.

"With aggressive cleaners being used in hospitals, Bayer has provided a material that has proven resistance and can stand up to harsh chemicals and scrubbing," said Karen Heroldt, field market development (Midwest region), Polycarbonates, Bayer MaterialScience LLC. "The material is also easy to process and has an optimal flow rate, enabling the use of the same material for multiple components in the application."

Attendees at MD&M West Conference and Exposition, Feb. 10-12 in Anaheim, Calif., can visit Bayer's booth (#2021) for more details about Bayer's material solutions for medical applications.

About Bayer MaterialScience LLC:
Bayer MaterialScience LLC is one of the leading producers of high-performance plastics in North America and is part of the global Bayer MaterialScience business with approximately 14,300 employees at 30 production sites around the world and 2013 sales of 11.2 billion euros. Bayer MaterialScience, a Bayer Group company, manufactures high-tech polymer materials and develops innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction, medical, and sports and leisure industries. Sustainability is central to Bayer MaterialScience LLC's business and is based around the key areas of innovation, product stewardship, social responsibility and respect for the environment.

Contact:
John Skabardonis, Phone: 412-777-5444
Email: [email protected]

For more information about Bayer MaterialScience LLC's medical polycarbonates, call 1-800-662-2927, email [email protected] or visit www.plastics.bayer.com.

For more information about Bayer MaterialScience's color technologies, please visit www.plastics.bayer.com/en/Products/Color-Technologies.aspx.

For more information about Safepole, call 312-642-2745, email [email protected] or visit www.safepole.net.

Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

Editor's Note: Follow news from Bayer MaterialScience on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Bayer4materials.

SOURCE Bayer MaterialScience LLC