The company's Portex Bivona FlexTendTTS neonatal and pediatric tracheostomy tubes feature a proximal shaft extension helping to keep connections away from the neck, chin, and stoma, intended to enhance patient comfort which could prevent pressure ulcers. The Bivona FlexTend TTS tracheostomy tubes were originally available only as customized products, manufactured in response to clinicians’ orders. The devices, however, are now part of Smith Medical's standard product offering.
Bivona FlexTend TTS tracheostomy tubes, made of soft, natural, biocompatible silicone, are designed to be gentle on the sensitive tissues of neonatal and pediatric patients who require intermittent or temporary cuff use. An inflatable cuff integrated into the outer wall of the tube’s shaft can be filled with sterile water to secure the tube in the patient’s trachea and creates a seal between the tube and trachea to direct incoming and outgoing breaths through the inner lumen. Directing all airflow through the lumen helps to optimize respiration for ventilated patients and for patients who perform lung expanding breathing therapies. When a seal is no longer needed, the cuff can be deflated and it will rest tight-to-shaft (TTS), reducing the risk of trauma to the trachea and allowing airflow around the tube supporting the ability to speak.
“We are pleased to add this specialty device to our standard Bivona tracheostomy product portfolio,” said Tommy Johns, vice president of Smith Medical's Global Product Management. “Providing greater accessibility to the Bivona FlexTend TTS tracheostomy tubes ensures that patients and care providers can have exactly what they need, precisely when they need it.”
The new Bivona FlexTend TTS tracheostomy tubes, as standard product, are manufactured in volume and stocked to fill orders promptly and to enable customers to keep inventory on hand for eventual needs. Smiths Medical will continue to provide Bivona FlexTend TTS tracheostomy tubes through its customization service. Customized tubes assembled to follow the unique contours and dimensions of a patient’s neck and trachea are essential to patients who have unique needs or an atypical tracheal anatomy.
Bivona FlexTend TTS tracheostomy tubes will be available in other markets later this year.
Smiths Medical, which manufacturers infusion pumps and other equipment, moved its headquarters to Arden Hills, Minn., in 2008, but has had a presence in The North Star State since buying Deltec in 1994.