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Press Releases
DUBLIN, Ohio, Jan. 30, 2012 — Cardinal Health and Cook Medical today announced a two-year, exclusive agreement for the North American distribution of Cook Medical central venous catheter (CVC) sets with Cardinal Health Presource® customizable procedural kits ─ providing clinicians with advanced technology the flexibility of customization for their vascular access needs.
Under the agreement, Cardinal Health and Cook Medical customers are now able to customize components of their CVC procedural kits. The kits can include either uncoated or Cook Spectrum® CVC sets, which feature the industry’s highest flow rates and a comprehensive product line including power-injectable catheters. The partnership enables acute care providers to maximize value and minimize waste by providing a cost-effective means to decrease the number of supplies they need to supplement standard CVC procedural kits.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Cardinal Health, an industry leader in custom kitting, to expand access to Cook Medical’s CVC sets for vascular access professionals,” said Dan Sirota, vice president and business unit leader of Cook Medical’s Critical Care and Interventional Radiology divisions. “Improving patient care and lowering health care costs are of utmost importance to hospitals. We remain committed to offering solutions that streamline processes for clinicians and empower them to provide top-quality patient care.”
Cook Medical’s Spectrum catheters are impregnated with the antibiotics minocycline and rifampin and meet the newly released 1A recommendation from the CDC for reducing catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs) if maximal sterile barrier precautions haven’t helped a facility reach its [infection prevention] goal.1 An estimated 78,000 patients are infected with otentially fatal CRBSIs in the U.S. annually, with an average cost estimated at $16,550 per infection.2 Spectrum catheters have been shown to be five times less likely to produce infection than process alone.3
"Cardinal Health focuses on developing partnerships that deliver innovative solutions that help make it easier for our customers to deliver high quality care,” said Lisa Ashby, president of category management at Cardinal Health. “Our relationship with Cook Medical is a great example of the kinds of partnerships our customers value – those that promote best practice standardization with superior quality products.”
About Cardinal Health
Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH) is a $103 billion health care services company that improves the cost-effectiveness of health care. As the business behind health care, Cardinal Health helps pharmacies, hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and physician offices focus on patient care while reducing costs, enhancing efficiency and improving quality. Cardinal Health is an essential link in the health care supply chain, providing pharmaceuticals and medical products to more than 60,000 locations each day. The company is also a leading manufacturer of medical and surgical products, including gloves, surgical apparel and fluid management products. In addition, the company supports the growing diagnostic industry by supplying medical products to clinical laboratories and operating the nation's largest network of radiopharmacies that dispense products to aid in the early diagnosis and treatment of disease. Ranked #19 on the Fortune 500, Cardinal Health employs more than 30,000 people worldwide. More information about the company may be found at cardinalhealth.com and @CardinalHealth on Twitter.
About Cook Medical
Founded in 1963, Cook Medical pioneered many of the medical devices now commonly used to perform minimally invasive medical procedures throughout the body. Today, the company integrates medical devices, drugs and biologic grafts to enhance patient safety and improve clinical outcomes. Since its inception, Cook has operated as a family-held private corporation. For more information, visit www.cookmedical.com. Follow Cook Medical on Twitter @CookMedicalPR or @CookCriticalCre
1 O’Grady NP, Alexander M, Burns LA, et al. Guidelines for the prevention of intravascular catheter-related infections. Am J Infect Control. 2011;39(4 suppl 1):S1-S34.
2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vital Signs: central line-associated blood stream infections–United States, 2001, 2008, and 2009. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2011:60(8): 243-2488
3 Hanna H, Benjamin R, Chatzinikolaou I, et al. “Long-term silicone central venous catheters impregnated with minocycline and rifampin decrease rates of catheter-related bloodstream infection in cancer patients: a prospective randomized clinical trial;” J Clin Oncol. 2004; 22(15):3163-3171.