Flu Season Preparedness

December 7, 2017
Flu Season Preparedness - Soma Technology, Inc.

Flu Season

The Mayo Clinic describes the flu (influenza) as a respiratory ailment affecting your throat, lungs, and nose. The flu can be contracted at any point in the year but is most commonly associated with the colder months. Popular Science reports that this flu season will be one of the worst in recent years. Sarah Chodosh writes in, “This Flu Season Looks Like a Bad One- And It Could Be Coming Early” with increasing numbers of people, the disease is spreading far faster than it normally does. “Lynnette Brammer, head of the CDC influenza division’s domestic surveillance team reports that “the percentage of outpatient visits is higher than what we’ve seen for the same weeks since the 2010-11 season, but it’s only by 1-2 weeks.” There are going to be far more outpatient and inpatient visits this year, and people need to know how to protect themselves.

The largest outbreak of the flu was from 1918-1919 when over 500 million people around the world were infected. The best ways to not contract the flu are to get vaccinated, not be around people who are sick and keep a healthy diet filled with exercise. The flu is an airborne disease transmitted through bacteria in the air through coughing, sneezing, or talking. You may also get infected when you touch the same objects that someone with the flu has. Unfortunately, there are so many different strains of the flu, if you are infected, you can still get the flu with a different strain. Vaccines do a good job of preventing the flu. Unfortunately, these vaccines are only made to protect certain types of the flu. Sometimes bacteria can become resistant to treatment.

You can usually receive a vaccine at your primary care physician’s office, urgent care centers, clinics, and sometimes even pharmacies. The vaccines are tested in laboratories that have researched the trends and strains of the flu and compiled this information into one vaccine. Chodosh writes, “by the time the influenza virus circumnavigates the globe each year, it’s become almost an entirely new demon, which is why we need a new vaccine annually.” Coincidentally, this week is Influenza Vaccination Week, so please make sure to receive a flu shot, and to educate those around you on the dangers of not having flu season preparedness.

Symptoms

The flu is sometimes confused with a head cold. The flu differentiates itself  with, “fever over 100 degrees, aching muscles, chills and sweats, headache, dry persistent cough, fatigues and weakness, nasal congestion, and sore throat.” If you or someone you know may have these symptoms, please seek immediate attention from your primary care physician, or at a clinic.

Risk Factors

As with any disease, risk factors are the largest reasons why diseases manifest. The Mayo Clinic describes those at risk are, young children, the elderly, those who live in nursing care facilities, pregnant women, those with weakened immune systems, overweight people, and those with chronic diseases. People with weakened immune systems are either old or have diseases that compromise their immune system including; HIV/AIDs, Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Arthritis, and countless others. There are ways to protect yourself. For those who are health conscious, please wash your hands frequently, avoid those with the flu, avoid large crowds, and make sure people cover their faces when they sneeze or cough.

Treatment

Sometimes the flu will resolve on its own from the body’s ability to fight off diseases. However, in people who have compromised immune systems, it is much harder to do this alone. Some people get admitted to the emergency room for treatment. While your doctor may prescribe you medicine, it is common to be on a ventilator for breathing, a patient monitor, to monitor your vitals, and an infusion pump to pump liquids into your system.

Use of Ventilators in Treatment

It is incredibly difficult for patients with a compromised immune system and in conjunction with a respiratory ailment, to breathe on their own. Ventilators pump oxygen through a tube into the windpipe and help people breathe. They can either breathe on their own, or the pressure from the pump has the ability to breathe for the patient. Once a patient has stabilized breathing for a period of time, they are discharged from the hospital.

Types of Ventilators:

Maquet/ Servo i/ (Universal/ Adult/Infant)

Three main configurations for the Servo-i are, infant, adult, and universal. The user interface enables the treatment of all patient categories, including invasive ventilation, non-invasive ventilation with leakage compensation, CO2 Analyzer, Nasal CPAP, Heliox, Stress Index, Ventilation Record Card, and Maquet ventilator accessories.

 

BD/ Carefusion AVEA

AVEA ventilator can be used on patients ranging from the NICU to pediatrics, to adults. This ventilator has both invasive and noninvasive ventilation. There is a setup for the humidifier, circuit compliance, and leak compensation. There are also set-ups for endotracheal and patient set-up. Modes include nasal, breath, pressure, volume, TCPL, PRVC, and apnea backup.

BD/ Carefusion Vela

This is a full-function noninvasive ventilator. There is a precision servo-controlled gas delivery turbine for both adult and pediatric patients. The touchscreen is LCD with full color and a flat panel.

Medtronic/ PB 840 Ventilator

This ventilator features a DualView touchscreen, dual microprocessor, easily upgradable software, enhanced noninvasive ventilation, data integration, mobile patient charting software, and a low overall cost of ownership.

Drager Evita XL

Drager is one of the top manufacturers of medical products and machines. This monitor has an extra large screen for easy readability. Features include mask ventilation, NIV plus, integrated C monitoring, a lung protection package, an open breathing system, NeoFlow, and a maneuverable trolley for movement.

 

What Is A Patient Monitor?

A patient monitor is a piece of medical equipment that monitors vital signs. Vital signs are noted to quickly survey the quality of health the patient is currently receiving. The monitor can identify blood pressure, SpO2, Temperature, and Pulse.

 

Types of Patient Monitors:

Philips Intellivue MX450, MX800, MX700

Philips is a renowned leader in medical equipment technology. The MX800 is the first patient care solution to incorporate patient monitoring and clinical informatics. This monitor features ECG capabilities and combines a touchscreen monitor with the PC for concurrent workflow.

Philips Intellivue MP70, MP50, MP30

This family of patient monitors is commonly used in hospital settings. Each has the same interface and industrial design. The features are standard for patient monitors, and also include smart prioritization, touchscreen display, SpeedPoint operation, and customizable viewing options, and the IntelliVue is compact and saves space.

GE Dash 5000, 4000, 3000, 2500

GE is a leader in technology and is not only limited to medical equipment. The GE Dash 5000 has many features other than the standard vitals. The Dash 5000 has optimized monitoring, advanced algorithms, ECG capabilities, bright alarm light, 3 waveform screen, a CO2 module, a pacemaker, and user-selectable alarms.

GE Carescape V100

This patient monitor comes standard and is very easy to use. It features NIBP, Recorder, Temperature, and SpO2. Configurations include Nellcor and Massimo SpO2. The specifications include Alaris turbo-temp, printer, battery, and a battery life of 8.1 hours.

 

What Is An Infusion Pump?

An infusion pump is a machine that delivers liquids to the body through a pump in a controlled environment. These liquids can be hormones, nutrients, and medication.

Types of Infusion Pumps:

Baxter Sigma Spectrum (B/G Wireless)

The Baxter Sigma Spectrum is lightweight, easy to set up, and has a bright color display. This pump has single-step titration, secondary container infusion check, configurable dose error reduction software and a quick drug find library capability. The system offers wireless connectivity to integrate data into a hospital’s EMR system.

BD/ Carefusion 8015 PCU/ 8010 LVP/ 8110 Syringe

BD Carefusion 8015 infusion pump is a syringe pump, where the fluid is pumped into the body via a syringe.  Capabilities include wireless, powerful analytics, exceptional versatility, and increased protection for IV safety. This system has memory capability where data is stored in a compact flash memory along with operating software. The memory will not be lost when there is a low battery.

Hospira Plum A+/ A+ Triples w/ Mednet

Hospira Plum A+ has all parameters on a single screen. The therapies available are dose calculation, loading dose, and multi-step programming. Clinicians can choose from a variety of programming options for piggyback delivery, concurrent delivery, programmable standby settings, multistep delivery, and programmable delayed starts.

 

Rental Options and Rent-To-Own Options

A hospital will always have ventilators, patient monitors, and infusion pumps, but just how many they need will vary depending on their patient census. Soma offers the ability to either rent machines for an extended period of time or rent-to-own options. The benefits of renting are that hospitals can avoid acquisition and maintenance costs on repair, and we ensure that there is equipment to meet immediate needs. There is no downtime due to repairs or preventative maintenance. Hospitals can easily and flexibly upgrade to newer equipment models. If you are looking to rent, please call 1-800-GET-SOMA.

 

Why Choose Refurbished Medical Equipment?

Soma Tech Intl is a leader in refurbished capital medical equipment. We just celebrated 25 years in business and look forward to excelling in the medical refurbishment market. Not only does Soma Tech Intl technically refurbish its products, but they also cosmetically refurbish them as well. Each product is fully tested and brought back to its OEM standards through; disassembly, inspection, cleaning, repair, replacements of necessary parts, calibration, and special cosmetic restoration. These products are able to function as if they did the day they left the manufacturer. Soma has a team of specific biomedical engineers to work on each piece of equipment before it leaves our facility, ensuring every product functions and looks the way the OEM intended.

Not only does Soma Tech refurbish and offer service on infusion and syringe pumps, but Soma also offers these services on a wide range of medical equipment from top manufacturers like GE, Philips, Drager, Physio-Control, and more! If you have any questions or just looking for a quick quote on any product give us a call at 1-800-438-7662 where you can talk to a knowledgeable sales representative.

Why choose refurbished? Cost is the biggest deterrent to buying refurbished. Buying refurbished capital medical equipment allows the buyer to acquire about two refurbished devices at the cost of one new one. This helps smaller hospitals with their budget and helps them compete with larger hospitals. There is a big difference between used and refurbished equipment. Used equipment implies that the equipment comes as is from the previous owner. Used equipment has an assumed connotation of being mishandled, broken, and/or does not properly function.

Refurbished equipment is far different and much better. The devices are brought to our state-of-the-art facility. Our team of biomedical engineers tests and calibrates the equipment to be brought back to OEM specifications. Parts that need to be replaced are replaced, thanks to Soma’s large inventory of parts, which can be found at www.SomaMedicalParts.com. After these devices are fixed, they are enhanced cosmetically. The equipment is sanded, painted, and outfitted with new stickers and decals. Finally, the refurbishment process is complete when packaged up and ready to ship.

Section 179 2017 Tax Deductions

As the end of the year approaches, Soma Tech Intl wants to remind medical equipment purchasers about section 179. Under Section 179, qualifying businesses can write up to $500,000.00 off their tax benefits for buying capital medical equipment in the year 2017. Companies should take advantage of this law before the December 31st deadline. Soma created a Section 179 2017 Tax Deduction Calculator to help you visualize how much you can save in real dollars. Medical companies should think about their unused budgets, or any future projects, to now place their orders for medical equipment.

Leasing equipment is Section 179 deductible, and Soma has many rent and rent-to-own options available. Soma provides a wide range of equipment to outfit operating rooms, surgery centers, clinics, hospitals, and doctor’s offices. Our one-stop shop allows customers to save time and money by purchasing refurbished equipment at around half the cost of new.

Looking For A Medical Equipment Quote?

We have a valued team of sales representatives who are more than willing to assist with any needs. We have a wide selection of other capital medical equipment including Imaging, NICU, Anesthesia, Surgical Tables, and far more. Please remember to contact Soma Tech Intl, if you have any questions about any of the pieces of equipment listed in this article or on our website. Be prepared for the flu, frequently wash your hands, avoid those who are sick, and get your flu shot!

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