Datex-Ohmeda Recognizes Cleveland Clinic Foundation for Research On Safer, Faster Pediatric Anesthesia Delivery.

TEWKSBURY, Mass.--(BW HealthWire)--Nov. 11, 19980--A Cleveland Clinic anesthesiologist's study of how to reduce the time children spend under anesthesia has earned extra dividends for pediatric research. Daniel Siker, M.D., winner of the Datex-Ohmeda SmartVent Case Summary Recognition Program, demonstrated the value of using the SmartVent(tm) 7900 ventilator to save time, optimize efficiency and enhance patient safety. Datex-Ohmeda has awarded Dr. Siker a $5,000 educational grant for his winning case study. Dr. Siker will apply the grant to the "Porpoise Project," his research on improved intubation techniques for children. Dr. Siker seeks to replace the endotracheal tubes used for keeping airways open during anesthesia with a method adapted from the anatomy of a porpoise, which has different tubes (lumens) for breathing and eating. His objective is to deliver anesthesia to children without the risk of vomiting or aspiration of food or fluid into the lungs.

Dr. Siker's winning case study examined ways to make general anesthesia easier and safer during pediatric surgery. Working with Juan Pablo Grimaldos, M.D., a resident at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Dr. Siker compared a mechanical ventilator and oral tracheal intubation with the SmartVent and laryngeal mask airways (LMAs). An LMA is a balloon-like device inflated in back of the tongue to deliver the anesthesia, reducing throat soreness and discomfort associated with the use of endotracheal tubes.

The SmartVent differs from other anesthesia ventilation systems in that it allows the clinician to control both the volume and pressure of anesthesia delivered. "The SmartVent is one of the only ventilators to limit pressure, so that when someone hiccups or coughs, the lungs are not overinflated," said Dr. Siker. "Standard volume-limited ventilators deliver an unpredictable and often excessive amount of pressure, which can fill the esophagus with air and place children and adults at risk for aspiration of food or drink into the lungs."

By using the SmartVent/LMA combination, Dr. Siker and Dr. Grimaldos were able to:

o minimize the time necessary to induce and bring a child out of

anesthesia (an average of 47 minutes for LMA/SmartVent patients

versus 68 minutes for endotracheal tube/mechanically ventilated 

patients) o reduce the time an anesthesiologist needed to spend in the

recovery room o optimize clinicians' time and OR scheduling o send children and their families home earlier.

"Based on a daily caseload of six eye muscle surgeries, the ophthalmologist found he could reduce his clinical time by at least two hours per day," said Dr. Siker. The anesthesiologist also found that anesthesia and recovery times were faster.

Richard Atkin, president of Datex-Ohmeda North America, said, "We are pleased to present this award to Dr. Siker for his excellent case study and the exciting research he is doing on the `Porpoise Project.' It is through the commitment of clinicians like Dr. Siker that technological advances can find their highest and best use -- improving patient outcomes, enhancing patient safety and helping hospitals improve their efficiency."

The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, founded in 1921, integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education in a private, non-profit group practice. Last year at the Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland Clinic Florida, over 850 full-time salaried physicians representing more than 100 medical specialties and subspecialties provided for 1,182,300 outpatient visits and 49,987 hospital admissions for patients from throughout the United States and more than 80 countries.

Datex-Ohmeda, the premier company wholly specializing in solutions for anesthesia and critical care, is a subsidiary of Instrumentarium Corporation, an international healthcare company headquartered in Finland. Datex-Ohmeda's offerings include anesthesia systems, patient monitoring, ventilation and information management systems for both anesthesia and critical care, and flexible monitoring solutions for routine in-hospital and outpatient needs. Datex-Ohmeda has 3,700 employees combined worldwide. North American headquarters are located in Tewksbury, Massachusetts.

Datex-Ohmeda's Worldwide Web address: http://www.datex-ohmeda.com