Passive, Self-Sheathing Syringe Introduced
Medical Safety Technologies Inc. (MST), a designer and supplier of medical devices solving safety issues related to needlestick injuries, introduced its new Turtle(TM) SafeShot Safety Syringe, which it claims is the only passive, self-sheathing syringe that never exposes the needle during the entire injection process.
Unlike other solutions currently available on the market today, the Turtle is the only completely passive syringe, meaning it works automatically. It uses a proprietary design to ensure the needle is never exposed from the moment the syringe is taken from its original packaging, through the injection process, and finally to sanitary disposal. The syringe’s patented design includes a hard, shatter-resistant and unbreakable sheath on the outside of the needle, which stays intact. A spring-loaded mechanism keeps the sheath constantly against the medication source or patient, in such a way that the needle is never exposed to the user. It is currently available in 3cc size.
“Prior to starting MST I served as a registered nurse in hospitals for 18 years and I myself suffered three contaminated needlesticks. I know how easy it is for nurses and doctors to accidentally receive needlesticks from contaminated needles,” said Robin Martin, MST's founder, president, and CEO. “A quick moment, under the right circumstances, is all it takes – to lose your life! I wanted to find a complete solution to this problem, both for my own safety, and the safety of my co-workers. The Turtle does just that.”
In proportion to the growing number of contaminated needlestick accidents, the number of cases of infection conveyance from these exposures continues to explode, as well. The World Health Organization reports that there are eight to 12 billion injections given each year, over half of which are unsafe. As a result, this has caused more than 8 million new Hepatitis B cases, 2 million new Hepatitis C cases, and 80,000 new HIV cases annually. These numbers may be higher because many cases of contaminated needlesticks go unreported.
“Health care professionals put their lives at great risk every day by using obsolete exposed needle syringe technology. Contaminated needlesticks are far more common than one might expect. The ANA found in April 2007 that 47 percent of nurses in the U.S. admit to at least one contaminated needlestick,” said Martin. “According to the American Hospital Association, one case of a contaminated needlestick involving a potentially serious bloodborne disease can soon cost a hospital one million dollars or more in expenditures for testing, lost worker time, disability payments, and potential court and settlement costs. For less than a dollar, the Turtle can obliterate these costs altogether.”
“We have been using the Turtle SafeShot Safety Syringe for about six weeks now and have witnessed firsthand that this new technology works,” said Rosie Renteria, nurse for Armando Osio, M.D., P.A. Family and Industrial Center located in McAllen, Texas. “The needle is truly never exposed, which is something our nursing staff can appreciate. We believe this new syringe sets the standard for excellence and safety for medical professionals across the nation and the world.”
The company also has a patent pending on a new version that will include a feature to permanently disable the syringe after one injection. "This is an especially important feature, as we look at the global market and addressing issues in Africa and other underdeveloped nations, where safe needle disposal is often not practiced,” said Martin. For more information, call 956-687-6784 or visit www.medicalsafetytechnologies.com.