Owen Mumford launches safety blood collection devices

Owen Mumford Ltd has launched a new venous blood collection portfolio under its Unistik brand.

The new portfolio builds upon the company’s expertise and heritage in capillary blood sampling to offer a range of venous devices that provide safety, comfort and quality for healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients.

The new Unistik blood collection range launches with a collection of three devices. Unistik ShieldLock features a user-centric design that provides protection once the needle is removed from the vein, allowing HCPs to safely draw large volumes of blood with ease and minimal discomfort to the patient. The device has flexible, textured wings to ensure a secure grip throughout the blood collection procedure, and a thumb-activated safety shield that covers and protects the needle following withdrawal from the vein – helping to avoid the risk of needlestick injury (NSI).

Unistik ShieldLock Ultra provides advanced protection, combining a one-handed and in-vein activated safety mechanism to minimise the risk of NSIs. The device also features an additional safety mechanism that, once activated, clamps the tube between the needle and Luer to prevent any exposure to blood after removal of the needle from the vein.

Unistik VacuFlip is designed for safe, straightforward venous blood collection procedures. The device features an ergonomic safety guard that is flipped over the needle once withdrawn from the arm to secure it and reduce the risk of NSI. The safety guard has a textured surface to improve grip during manual activation and ensure the fingers are a safe distance from the needle during collection.

Needlestick injury can result from mishandling or failure to activate the safety shield on some blood collection devices prior to disposal. Although this can be mitigated through training and communication, the economic cost for the healthcare industry relating to injury claims and treatment can be substantial, compounded by the potential physical and psychological damage to HCPs.

In addition, both non-communicable diseases and disease identification are on the rise, and globally each year over one billion patients have blood collected by venous devices. After much research to understand the current venous blood collection market and identify concerns with existing designs, Owen Mumford now provides a range of devices that deliver ease-of-use, comfort for patients, and crucially, technology that minimises the risk of NSI.

“The new venous blood collection range is a first for Owen Mumford, expanding upon our existing capillary blood sampling range to offer modern safety solutions for HCPs and patients. The devices have been created to resolve pain points with existing products, utilising modern technology design to improve comfort and reduce risk of NSI and blood sample exposure post-collection,” said Jesper Jonsson, director, Medical Devices at Owen Mumford. “Disease identification is on the rise, and safe, efficient blood collection is so important to effective diagnosis and treatment. According to a recent study from the Royal College of Nursing, needle stick injuries have risen by 50 percent since 2008. Despite regulations requiring 100 percent of staff have access to safer sharps, only 45 percent stated theirs was excellent, and 15 percent of staff stated “nil to poor” access. Building on decades of experience within blood sampling and its strong focus on patient and HCP safety, Owen Mumford is bringing to market a range combining advanced safety with accessibility that we believe will transform the sector.”