Kimberly-Clark Microcuff Adult Endotracheal Tube Shown To Reduce The Incidence of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia

(Roswell, Ga. - May 20, 2009) - Kimberly-Clark Health Care announced the presentation of data related to the Kimberly-Clark Microcuff Adult Endotracheal (ET) Tube at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) meeting in San Diego this week.  The study, conducted at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, demonstrated a 43 percent reduction in the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) when using the Microcuff ET Tube.  

"Micro-aspiration is a known cause of VAP, and we believe the use of a thin-cuffed ET tube, such as Microcuff, can significantly reduce this risk," said lead investigator Dr. Robert Hyzy, associate professor of internal medicine and director of the Critical Care Medicine Unit at the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor, Mich.  "VAP is a complex issue, and our study was designed to be very comprehensive.  We implemented Microcuff house-wide to ensure virtually every intubated patient in our ICUs received the tube for a 12-month period and then compared VAP rates to those of the prior 12 months."  

The results found that with the use of the Microcuff ET Tube, the incidence of VAP was reduced 43 percent to 2.8 episodes per 1000 vent days versus 5.3 episodes per 1000 days with a standard ET tube.

"The results of this study are an important advance in the prevention of VAP," said Lynne Kelley, M.D., vice president and senior medical director for Kimberly-Clark. "Kimberly-Clark is committed to the fight against health-care-associated infections and believes technologies, such as Microcuff, can help save patients' lives and reduce costs to our health care system, which is increasingly important during this economically challenging time."

The Microcuff ET Tube has a unique microthin polyurethane cuff designed to minimize the leakage of potentially infectious secretions into the lungs, which can cause serious complications such as VAP. The microthin cuff has the added clinical benefit of effectively sealing the trachea at lower cuff pressures, thereby reducing the risk of tracheal trauma.

Ventilator-associated Pneumonia
Ventilator-associated pneumonia is one of the top three infection concerns of clinicians today; it may account for up to 60 percent of all deaths from health-care-associated infections (HAIs) in the United States.  Approximately 8 to 28 percent of critical care patients develop VAP, which has a mortality rate of 20 to 33 percent and is estimated to generate an increased cost of $20,000 to $40,000 per incident. A leading cause of VAP is micro-aspiration of potentially infectious secretions through gaps in the endotracheal tube cuff. The cuff seal is the final barrier that protects the lungs from aspiration of potentially infectious oropharyngeal secretions.

To learn more about the Kimberly-Clark Microcuff Endotracheal tubes, visit www.kchealthcare.com/microcuff.

Kimberly-Clark in the Health Care Environment
Around the world, medical professionals turn to Kimberly-Clark for a wide portfolio of solutions that improve the health, hygiene and well-being of their patients and staff. As part of their healing mission, caregivers rely on Kimberly-Clark to deliver clinical solutions and educational resources that they can depend on to prevent, diagnose and manage a wide variety of health-care-associated infections. This more than $1 billion global enterprise of Kimberly-Clark Corporation holds the No. 1 or No. 2 market share position in several categories, including infection control solutions, surgical solutions, pain management and digestive health. And throughout the care continuum, patients and staff alike trust Kimberly-Clark medical supplies and devices, KLEENEX tissues, Kimberly-Clark professional skin care products and SCOTT towels for day-to-day needs. For more information, visit http://www.kchealthcare.com.