Keeping Surgical Infections at Bay With a Cocoon of Air
Nimbic Systems' Air Barrier System Nimbic Systems, Inc.Shrouding incisions in a layer of purified air reduces the bacteria count by more than 80 percent A Texas company has received FDA clearance for a new kind of medical device aimed at reducing incision-site infections that result from surgical procedures. But rather than battling microorganisms with pharmaceutical cocktails or some kind of post-surgical treatment, Nimbic Systems' Air Barrier System (ABS) keeps surgical sites free of bacteria and other bugs by creating a cocoon of purified air around the incision site for the duration of the surgery. Infections picked up in the operating room can be as serious--if not more so--than the condition being treated by the surgery itself. Aside from threatening patient health, they are also costly--a bad Staphylococcus infection, for instance, can drive treatment costs into the six figures per patient. ABS aims to curb those infection by ensuring that pathogens never...