NHS sets requirements for Fluid Management

RNS Number : 2223U

Deltex Medical Group PLC

24 December 2012

 



Deltex Medical Group plc

NHS sets minimum requirements for Intra-Operative Fluid Management

24 December 2012 - Deltex Medical Group plc, the global leader in oesophageal Doppler monitoring ("ODM"), announces that the NHS has published the minimum requirements to be met by NHS hospitals in England in the first phase of its drive to implement nationally ODM or similar fluid management monitoring technology.

In order for NHS hospitals to be eligible for any CQUIN quality incentive payments in 2013/14, which equate to 2.5% of their standard NHS revenues, hospitals must:

"Demonstrate to commissioners that 2013/14 trajectories for the technology [Intra-Operative Fluid Management] are in place which are consistent with National Technology Assessment Centre (NTAC) guidance."

See http://www.commissioningboard.nhs.uk/files/2012/12/cquin-guidance.pdf.

The NTAC guidance identifies nearly 80,000 procedures a year for priority adoption in this first phase of national implementation: this is just under 10% of the 837,000 patients a year covered by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommendation for CardioQ-ODM.

Deltex Medical's sales data indicates that in the last 12 months, the CardioQ-ODM has been used on just under 30,000 surgical patients in the NHS in England, although there are significant variations between the ten former Strategic Health Authority regions with uptake ranging from 1.6% to 6.8% of patients covered by the NICE guidance. The directors note that, while neither the CQUIN nor the NTAC guidance exclude the use of non-ODM products, most available technologies have been shown in independent clinical trials neither to be able to guide properly the interventions proven with ODM nor deliver similar clinical and economic benefits.

Ewan Phillips, Deltex Medical's Chief Executive, commented:

"Publication of the minimum requirements for uptake of Intra-Operative Fluid Management across the NHS in England is a major development for the Company. Delays in the publication of the NHS plan to roll-out ODM as a high impact innovation had created uncertainty amongst some NHS providers and we expect the new clarity to give our existing momentum a significant boost in 2013."

For further information, please contact:-

Deltex Medical Group plc                                    01243 774 837

Nigel Keen, Chairman                                         [e-mail]

Ewan Phillips, Chief Executive                            [e-mail]

Paul Mitchell, Finance Director                            [e-mail]

Nominated Adviser & Broker

Arden Partners plc                                             020 7614 5900

Chris Hardie                                                      [e-mail]

Kreab Gavin Anderson                                        020 7074 1800

Robert Speed                                                    [e-mail]

Notes for Editors

Deltex Medical manufactures and markets the CardioQ-ODMÔ system. CardioQ-ODM changes the way doctors care for surgical patients allowing them to recover faster and leave hospital sooner and in better health than they otherwise would do. The performance of the system has been validated through independently conducted, randomised controlled clinical trials and is being translated into routine clinical practice in leading hospitals around the world.

CardioQ-ODM comprises a monitor and a single patient disposable probe. The probe is placed into the oesophagus through either the mouth or nose and the tip positioned facing the adjacent descending aorta. A low frequency ultrasound signal, generated by the monitor, is bounced off the blood travelling down the aorta and the Doppler principle is used to determine the velocity of the blood flow, expressed in distance per cardiac cycle - 'Stroke Distance'. The monitor also calculates the amount of time that blood is flowing down the aorta as a proportion of a cardiac cycle - 'Flow Time'.

The monitor uses a validated proprietary nomogram to extrapolate volumetric data (Stroke Volume, Cardiac Output etc) from the directly measured flow velocity. The nomogram utilises the patient's age weight and height, effectively to estimate the size of the aorta in which the velocity of the flow is being measured. Crucially this means that any reported relative change in Stroke Volume is absolutely identical to the relative change in the directly measured flow velocity variable of Stroke Distance. CardioQ-ODM immediately and reliably identifies even very small changes in the blood flow velocity allowing doctors to intevene earlier and on smaller changes than with any other approach.

Intra-operative individualised Doppler guided fluid management entails insertion and focusing of the probe to obtain a baseline reading, giving a small (200 to 250 ml) fluid challenge directly into the vascular system and seeing if Stroke Volume (or Stroke Distance) increases by more than 10%. If the increase is more than 10%, repeat fluid boluses are administered until such time as the increase is less than 10%: after this no further fluid is given unless Stroke Volume falls by more than 10% - the process is designed to achieve and maintain the individual patient's optimal Stroke Volume. CardioQ-ODM is also used during surgery to guide administration of vaso-active agents such as inotropes.

The CardioQ-ODM helps patients by enabling doctors to reduce the complications that arise from a medical condition that is common to almost all patients having surgery and many others in intensive care or arriving in the accident and emergency department. This condition is known as hypovolaemia - a reduction in circulating blood volume - and in surgical patients arises as a direct consequence of the combined effects of pre-operative starvation, the anaesthetic agents and the blood and fluid losses associated with the surgical procedure itself. Hypovolaemia means that the body struggles to get sufficient blood to the tissues and vital organs which are consequently starved of essential oxygen. This can cause medical complications including peripheral and major organ failure, which if not dealt with quickly can lead to severe compromise or even death.

There are already over 2,500 CardioQ-ODMs currently in use in hospitals worldwide and distribution arrangements are in place in over 30 countries. In addition, there are currently more than 250 clinical publications on the use of the CardioQ-ODM which have repeatedly:-

·    Validated the results of CardioQ-ODM against known standards for measuring cardiac output

·    Proved that CardioQ-ODM works in a wide range of surgical procedures

·    Proved that CardioQ-ODM delivers 50% or more reductions in post-operative complications and 25% or more reductions in length of hospital stay: better care at lower cost.

The SupraQÔ is an entirely non-invasive device which uses an ultrasound probe held at the base of the patient's neck to track the flow of blood in the aorta; it presents the same data as the CardioQ-ODM in a similar format and is used for taking snapshots or monitoring over short periods.

 

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