March 14 2019 by Vyaire Medical
enFlow® Fluid Warming System
- Disposable Cartridges
Take your temperature management measures to the next level
- Accuracy
- Mobility
- Speed
enFlow™ IV fluid and blood warming system – The right temperature, in the right place, at the right time
The enFlow IV fluid and blood warming system helps maintain patients' core body temperatures throughout the entire perioperative experience. This capability helps minimize the incidence of patient hypothermia.
Accuracy
The system automatically warms fluids to 40 ± 2 °C with multiple sensors to ensure fluid temperature accuracy.
The enFlow IV fluid and blood warming system helps maintain patients' core body temperatures throughout the entire perioperative experience. This capability helps minimize the incidence of patient hypothermia.
Mobility
The small single-patient-use cartridge remains in-line for continous patient warming, across the care continuum
Speed
Easy to use, the system rapidly warms fluids to the temperature set point, so you do not need to wait on warming.
Cartridge interchangeability
You can easily and conveniently transfer the cartridge from one warming unit to another.
The cartridge
The system's unique single-patient-use cartridge can be placed in-line before IV placement and likely without any change to your IV set. This easy access lets you get to work right away, maintaining warming from pre-op to the OR to post-procedure in the PACU.
Pre-op
Warm early to prevent hypothermia later
Maintaining the right patient temperature is important throughout the entire perioperative experience, starting in the pre-op period. Research has shown that warming to nearly core temperature before the induction of anesthesia prevents hypothermia in later stages of the perioperative workflow¹.
The enFlow system in the preoperative environment
Because the enFlow cartridge moves with the patient, you can start warming early-increasing the likelihood of delivering normothermic patients to the OR and PACU.
The system is ideal for pre-op warming because:
The disposable cartridge attaches in-line to standard IV fluid/blood delivery sets at the start of procedures, removing the need for additional set-up or tubing.
The system works at the right time, right away-in 18 seconds or less, vs. 10 minutes with other fluid warmers1-which means less waiting.
The cartridge is easy to place in and remove from the warmer (it cannot be inserted incorrectly), instantly reassuring staff.
References
¹Company data: Fluid warming time using 20 °C fluid to achieve 37 °C at 150 mL/min (testing was performed using a 9" extension set and 20 °C distilled water). Vital Signs, 2009.
Hallway
Warm on the move
Research has shown that on average, hospitals can save $2,500 to $7,000 per patient by maintaining normothermia during a perioperative visit. It also helps reduce blood transfusions, post-op infections, myocardial infarctions and mortality¹.
The enFlow system in transit
The enFlow system advances mobility and speed in perioperative fluid warming. While moving the patient from pre-op to the OR, you can simply remove the cartridge from the warming unit, allowing the entire IV set to transport with the patient. Once the patient arrives at the next care area, you can insert the cartridge into another warming unit right away, to start heating fluid within seconds.
The enFlow system optimally warms patients on the move because:
The cartridge can remain in-line, keeping the IV set from exposure to potential infection, whether the fluid is warming or not.
The warmer can operate in any orientation.
The warming unit and power source are highly durable, having passed the most robust military testing standards.
References
¹Mahoney, C., Odum, J. Maintaining intraoperative normothermia: A meta-analysis of outcomes with costs. AANA Journal, April 1999, 67(2):155–164.
Surgery
Maintain normothermia in the OR
During the first hour of anesthesia, patient core temperatures can decrease 1.6 ± 0.3 °C¹. Additionally, each liter of IV fluid infused into adults at ambient temperature, or each unit of blood infused at 4 °C, decreases the mean body temperature approximately 0.25 °C².
This drop can have major cost and quality implications for hospitals. Mild hypothermia may cause complications such as shivering and discomfort, surgical site infections, reduced drug metabolism and impaired blood clotting³.
References
¹Matsukawa, T., Sessler, D., Sessler, A., Schroeder, M. et. al. Heat flow and distribution during induction of general anesthesia. Anesthesiology, March 1995, 82(3):662–673. ²Sessler, D. Mild perioperative hypothermia. New Eng J Med, June 1997, 336(24):1730–1737. ³Kurz, A., Sessler, D., Lenkhardt, R. Perioperative normothermia to reduce the incidence of surgical-wound infection and shorten hospitalization. N Engl J Med, 1996, 334:1209–1215.
Surgery
The enFlow™ system in the OR. Maintaining the right patient temperature during surgery requires overcoming a number of obstacles: cold IV solutions, fasting before surgery, cold OR environments, extreme age, and major fluid or blood loss.
The system provides ideal OR warming because:
The warmer fits in the palm of your hand and sits close to the patient, minimizing the distance from the end of the warmer to the patient's IV site.
Its size is unobtrusive and compatible with infusion pumps or pressure infusers.
Its low priming volume (< 4mL) and minimal resistance to fluid flow increases control and reduces waste¹.
It applies to 98% of patient cases,² from adult to paediatric or neonatal patients, and from bariatric to ideal weight procedures.
References
¹Company data: Disposable cartridge pressure drop—fluid resistance comparison at 12.4 mmHg. ²Sessler, D., Kurz, A. Mild perioperative hypothermia. Anesthesiology News, September 2007, 1–12.
PACU
Deliver warm patients
Inadvertent hypothermia is one of the most common complications for surgical patients who are transferred to the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU)¹.
It can significantly prolong post-op recovery, with hypothermic patients taking around 40 minutes longer to reach fitness for discharge and about 90 minutes when requiring a core temperature over 36 °C.1 And more time in the PACU can equal more cost².
References
¹ Panagiotis, K., Maria, P., Argiri, P., Panagiotis, S. Is post-anesthesia care unit length of stay increased in hypothermic patients? AORN J, February 2005, 81(2):379–382, 385–392. ² Lenhardt, R., Marker, E., Goll, V., Tschernich, H. et al. Mild intraoperative hypothermia prolongs postanesthetic recovery. Anesthesiology, December 1997, 87(6):1318–1323.
The enFlow™ system for effective recovery
With the enFlow system, you can confidently help patients maintain the right temperature in the right place at the right time-upon entry to the OR, during transition to the PACU and upon discharge from the PACU.
The system works well in the PACU and beyond because:
- The warmer incorporates a layer that transfers heat effectively, preventing hot spots associated with other dry heat warmers.
- The enFlow cartridge can be used for 24 hours of continuous patient warming.
- The single-patient-use cartridge does not use membranes, which can get clogged when blood is infused.