Take the tube: Packaging to improve safety and simplify handling

Safety and efficiency are vital in the operating room. A new packaging solution from Rose Plastic medical packaging has been designed to save space, creates safety and simplify handling in hospitals.

Medical products need packaging that is easy and safe to handle. This is particularly true for implants that have to be inserted into the patient's body while remaining sterile.

Thomas Braun, marketing manager Rose Plastic Medical Packaging says: “One major challenge for packaging medical implants is certainly the requirement to package implants safely and securely. That is, to not only protect them from mechanical damage and ensure that no abrasion occurs, but also to provide an effective double sterile barrier. While the safety of the implant has to be ensured, the usability also has to convince by safe, simple and fast handling during the packaging process and also at the end user.

With this in mind the company has developed TubeinTube which is designed to guarantee sterile and contact-free handling and transfer of the implant. It can be safely transferred from the non-sterile to the sterile area of the operating room. This double sterile barrier packaging consists of two transparent tubes which are inserted into each other. Each of the tubes is secured by an air-tight closure; in the case of the inner tube, this also ensures that the implant is firmly seated. The outer tube has a tamper-evident closure; if left unopened, it ensures that the implant is undamaged and sterile. It is easy to open using the attached tab. The packaging geometry ensures that the inner tube with the implant sits securely and firmly in the outer tube - yet is easy to remove.

“By providing an effective double sterile barrier, combined with easy, intuitive handling during surgery and perfect suitability for well-organized storage with minimal space requirements, we feel that TubeInTube helps solve the challenges facing medical implant packaging,” says Braun.

Rose Plastic also feels that another advantage of the product is its cost-effectiveness and that compared with more conventional packaging solutions, it creates less packaging waste. This reduces the transport volume, simplifies disposal and minimises the space required for the implants, an important factor in many clinics. This means that significantly more implants can be clearly stored in the same amount of space.

TubeInTube is suited for implants such as bone screws in various sizes, but can also be customised and further developed to accommodate numerous other implants, taking individual requirements into account.

“The packaging concept is suited for all kinds of cylindrical or elongated implants, as screws, nails or plates and can be adapted to customers’ needs,” says Braun.

Rose Plastic is at the forefront of medical packaging and is aware of the challenges the industry faces. It is also aware of what the future holds for this key element in the medical device supply chain.

Braun says: “Of course, the megatrends in the packaging industry do not stop at medical packaging. The concepts of smart packaging, digitisation and automation are always present and place high demands on the packaging of the future. In addition, there is the demand for packaging solutions that can save both space and waste. With our packaging we are well prepared for these requirements and will continue to develop innovative packaging with high customer benefits in the future.”