Karl Storz Donates Innovative Airway Intubation System to Army Hospital in Iraq for Treating Soldiers and Civilians.

CULVER CITY, Calif. -- Donation is Part of Larger Program to Help Put Advanced Technology on the Battlefield to Save Lives

Karl Storz Endoscopy-America, Inc. (KSEA), a global leader in endoscopy and medical video imaging systems, has donated an innovative video-based airway intubation system to the U.S. Army's 86th Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq. The hospital will use the DCI Video Intubation System and compact Medi Pack Mobile Video System to facilitate airway management when treating U.S. and Iraqi soldiers as well as Iraqi citizens at the facility.

The donation was made by KSEA along with the Nebraska Medical Center and the Omaha VA Hospital to Col. Jack Chiles, M.D., former deputy commander of the hospital in Iraq and Consultant, Anesthesiology to the U.S. Army Surgeon General. The presentation was made during Chiles' visit to the Nebraska Medical Center. Among the attendees at the presentation were Byers Shaw, Jr., M.D., Chief of Surgery for The Nebraska Medical Center; Col. Ben Boedecker, M.D., Ph.D., MBA, DVM, associate professor of anesthesiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center; Joe Graham, COO, The Nebraska Medical Center; John Tinker, M.D., chief of anesthesiology at The Nebraska Medical Center; and officials from the state of Nebraska, including Secretary of State John Gale.

The 86th Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad is a level-one trauma center with 21 ICU beds, 57 intermediate beds, one isolated bed and three PACU beds. At the facility, the U.S. Army treats military personnel, but also provides care to Iraqi citizens, including many children. The hospital will use the DCI system to provide critical support for meeting the medical needs of soldiers and civilians alike.

"Providing a clear airway is one of the largest problems in anesthesiology today," said Chiles. "By watching the camera's path on the computer screen you have a much better chance of visualizing where you have to go." Chiles believes that such advances in technology enable military physicians to save more lives of injured soldiers in battle and at the hospital. Said Chiles, "It's very exciting to have cutting-edge technology on the battlefield. Simply put, it will save lives."

In his letter announcing KSEA's donation to the Army hospital, Joseph J. Houser, Director of Marketing, Anesthesia, said, "Karl Storz celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. From its inception, the company has been devoted to the development of the highest quality instrumentation for numerous surgical disciplines." He added, "We hope that this system provides both a faster and safer methodology for airway management in treating our troops and civilians in Iraq."

The equipment donation is part of a larger collaborative research and development effort involving Karl Storz and the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in partnership with the Omaha VA Medical Center (VAMC) and the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command and Madigan Army Medical Center. The program is part of a VA/Department of Defense research collaboration between the Omaha VAMC and Madigan that is being funded by TATRC to support development of virtual anesthesiology and robotic anesthesiology.

R&D efforts are being focused on developing better methods of managing the injured soldier's airway during the early stages of medical evacuation. Research will entail studying novel applications for the Karl Storz video laryngoscope as a cornerstone in this airway management program. In addition, the video airway management device design is being modified to allow expanded use of the device by combat medics. The ability to provide increased airway management is expected to result in more lives being saved on the battlefield and in civilian trauma situations.

The DCI Video Intubation Laryngoscope allows rapid changes between flexible, semi-rigid and laryngeal blades using a single snap-on/snap-off video camera. Combined with the compact Medi Pack Mobile Imaging System, it provides a mobile, easy-to-use solution for most assisted intubations. The Medi Pack includes a universally compatible control unit, high-performance cold-light source, LCD monitor and a keypad for entering patient data. When used to provide instruction in airway management techniques, the DCI system enables the entire operating room or emergency medicine team to see the vocal chords on a video monitor faster and more easily, with less patient trauma.

The clarity and size of images generated by the DCI Video Intubation System offers a number of advantages compared with conventional methods, such as providing an invaluable tool for intubation training. The system provides a vital tool for performing emergency intubations, particularly when conventional intubation methods are difficult.

Karl Storz Endoscopy-America, Inc. is an affiliate of Karl Storz GmbH & Co. KG, an international leader for almost 60 years in reusable endoscope technology, encompassing all endoscopic specialties. Based in Tuttlingen, Germany, Karl Storz GmbH & Co. KG is a family-owned company that designs, engineers, manufactures and markets all its products with an emphasis on visionary design, precision craftsmanship and clinical effectiveness. For more information, call 800-421-0837 or visit the company's Web site at www.karlstorz.com.