Covidien unveils new tube design trial data

Covidien’s new Mallinckrodt SealGuard Evac tube design has been found to reduce microaspiration by at least 95 per cent, according to a study.

Published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, data from an eight-month randomised clinical trial found it also lowered the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) by 62 per cent, in comparison to a conventional endotracheal tube.

The study involved 280 patients and was conducted at Hospital Universitario de Canarias in Tenerife, Spain.

Vice-president of Covidien’s medical affairs Roger Mecca said the technological advances in the new tube could “significantly enhance” the ability to address serious complications.

He added: “Two such complications, VAP and tracheal mucosal damage, not only contribute to adverse clinical outcomes, but also have a negative financial impact on the hospital and the healthcare system.”

Currently employing 41,000 people in over 140 countries, Covidien reported revenue in 2008 of nearly $10 billion (7.05 billion pounds).