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KIMBERLY-CLARK RECOGNISES INFECTION PREVENTION EXCELLENCE WITH THE LAUNCH OF THE NEW HAI WATCHDOG* AWARDS

23rd September 2011

A new scheme to reward individuals and teams who are championing infection prevention in hospitals has been launched by Kimberly-Clark Health Care in the UK.

The HAI WATCHDOG* Awards aims to recognise the work and dedication of doctors and nurses who are making a difference in reducing and preventing healthcare associated infections (HAIs) in wards and departments throughout the country.

The goal of the awards is to publicise these pioneering and effective initiatives and help all those delivering care to learn from one another.

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KIMBERLY-CLARK TO HOST SYMPOSIUM FOCUSING ON ORAL CARE FOR VENTILATED PATIENTS AT ESICM CONGRESS

23rd September 2011

Four leading experts in the care of critically ill patients will be taking part in a symposium hosted by Kimberly-Clark Healthcare at this year's European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) focusing on the role of oral care in helping to prevent pneumonia in ventilated patients.

Entitled 'Invest in Essentials’, the session is to be moderated by Michael Quintel (Göttingen, Germany) and Stijn Blot (Ghent, Belgium). There will be presentations by Sonia Labeau (Ghent, Belgium) whose talk will focus on the 'Factors impeding oral care in the ICU'. Mirelle Koeman (The Hague, The Netherlands) will examine 'The perfect solution: SDD or Chlorhexidine?' and Stijn Blot will turn his attention to 'Implementing effective oral care'.

The symposium is being held in the Paris Room at the ICC, Berlin from 12.30 to 14.00 on Tuesday 4th October.

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PIONEERING CRITICAL CARE WORK IN HOSPITALS IN NORFOLK, SUFFOLK AND CAMBRIDGESHIRE TO BE SHOWCASED AT REGIONAL STUDY EVENT

14th July 2011

The pioneering work of critical care units at hospitals across Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire will be showcased at a dedicated study day in Newmarket this September.

Supported by an educational grant from Kimberly-Clark Health Care, the day will focus on a range of issues that impact upon the care and safety of patients receiving treatment in the critical care unit.

Topics on the agenda include the new High Impact Intervention Care Bundle to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), quality issues in the ICU and the effect of the Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUINS) payment framework, sedation and delirium in the critically ill and the UK challenge of sepsis.

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KIMBERLY-CLARK LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE DEDICATED TO VENTILATOR-ASSOCIATED PNEUMONIA (VAP)

12th July 2011

A new, on-line resource containing a wealth of information and tools dedicated to protecting patients from the risks of Ventilator-associated Pneumonia (VAP) has been launched by Kimberly-Clark Health Care.

The website www.vap.kchealthcare.com is a dynamic, multi-media information source for clinicians and hospital managers focused on minimizing the risk of VAP in their hospitals. The site contains clinical guidelines showcasing best practice from around the world, as well as access to training and educational materials and it provides an overview of the latest news and events.

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NEW CLINICAL STUDY RESULTS AND EVALUATIONS FROM SHOWCASE HOSPITALS REVEALED FOR KIMBERLY-CLARK’S INTEGUSEAL*

27th May 2011

Two new pieces of evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of Kimberly-Clark's InteguSeal* in reducing surgical site infections (SSIs) have been published. They comprise of a new clinical study as well as the report of the successful evaluations of the microbial sealant at showcase hospitals in the UK.

The retrospective non-randomized study of the impact of InteguSeal* on the rate of SSI after cardiac surgery published in the International Journal for Infectious Diseases, showed that changing a surgeon's standard preoperative practice, by including a microbial skin sealant pretreatment, significantly reduced the rate of infection.

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KIMBERLY-CLARK LAUNCHES NEW KIMVENT* ORAL CARE SOLUTIONS TO HELP PREVENT VENTILATOR-ASSOCIATED PNEUMONIA (VAP)

11th May 2011

New oral care solutions that are tailored to meet a variety of patient needs and comply with hospital protocols aimed at preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) have been launched by Kimberly-Clark Health Care.

These new solutions comprise of a range of four KimVent* Oral Care Kits that are designed to minimize the risk factors of VAP by containing flexible and easy to use tools to provide effective oral hygiene. Studies have shown that good oral hygiene measures help reduce the number of colonized bacteria in the mouth and prevent the spread of infection from the oral cavity to the lower respiratory tract.1,2 .

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KIMBERLY-CLARK LAUNCHES NEW KIMVENT* MULTI-ACCESS PORT CLOSED SUCTION SYSTEM

May 2nd 2010

Targeting the risk factors connected with Ventilator Associated Pneumonia (VAP) in mechanically ventilated patients, Kimberly-Clark Health Care has launched the new KimVent* Multi-Access Port Closed Suction System. The new system, which is based on the proven Trach Care* Technology, features a compact rotating manifold with multi-access ports, to allow clinicians to perform suctioning and other procedures, such as bronchoalveolar lavage, bronchoscopy or MDI drug delivery, whilst maintaining a closed ventilator circuit.

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KIMBERLY-CLARK HEALTH CARE ANNOUNCES PRICE RISES AS RAW MATERIAL COSTS CONTINUE TO SOAR

20th April 2011

As a direct result of the rapidly escalating cost of raw materials derived from oil, Kimberly-Clark Health Care is to increase prices of its single-use medical products.

In the last two years global demand for raw materials has grown substantially and the price of high grade polypropylene polymer and other oil-based raw materials used in Kimberly-Clark's single use medical products has almost tripled. At the same time, the cost of butadiene and acrylonitrile, the main raw materials used to produce nitrile synthetic gloves, have experienced similar cost increases. In addition, the huge increase in the cost of oil has caused freight, energy and production costs to escalate.

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PIONEERING PATIENT SAFETY WORK IN NORTH WEST HOSPITALS SHOWCASED AT CRITICAL CARE MEETING

9th December 2010

The pioneering work of doctors and nurses based at hospitals across the North West of England was showcased at a patient safety meeting in Bolton.

Focusing specifically on the needs of patients in critical care units,the Kimberly-Clark Health Care-sponsored event focused on the latest findings of clinicians working in hospitals within the Critical Care Networks of Greater Manchester, Lancashire and South Cumbria.

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INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGISTS SHOWCASE KIMBERLY-CLARK'S MIC*, MIC-KEY* INTRODUCER KIT AT CIRSE 2010

29th September 2010

Interventional radiologists from across Europe will be sharing their experiences of the initial placement of balloon-retained enteral feeding tubes using the MIC*, MIC-KEY* Introducer Kit developed by Kimberly-Clark at this year's CIRSE.

During multi-language sessions in the Kimberly-Clark Learning Centre, the presenters will explain the Introducer Kit's ease of use for the placement of Gastrostomy and Jejunostomy feeding tubes and there will be hands-on training using demonstration stomach models.

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REDUCING INFECTION IN INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY PROCEDURES WITH INTEGUSEAL* MICROBIAL SEALANT

6th August 2010

Infections following interventional cardiology procedures are very low but if patients are affected, complications can be very serious. Not only do patients suffer through prolonged treatment and longer hospital stays, but the cost to hospitals is also considerable. At the Gen-eral Hospital of Ioannina in Greece Dr Dimitrios Nikas, MD, PhD, has pioneered the use of InteguSeal* microbial sealant to ensure the risk of infection in his unit is minimized.

With a baseline infection rate estimated to be just 0.2 to 0.3% in percutaneous coronary interventions (1), additional procedures over and above the standard processes for the sterilisation of puncture sites are not always considered necessary. However when a patient started to have fever two days after a percutaneous intervention, the resulting implications for the patient and the hospital caused a radical review of the puncture site preparation.

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KIMBERLY-CLARK HEALTH CARE CREATES NEW SURGICAL GOWN FABRIC FOR HIGH LEVEL PERFORMANCE, PROTECTION AND COMFORT

28th May 2010

Kimberly-Clark Health Care has created a new, innovative fabric for its best-in-class MicroCool* surgical gown that combines high performance with high level protection and superior comfort.

Using its own patented SFS technology, Kimberly-Clark’s KC400 MicroCool* offers ‘all over’ impervious protection for complex, high risk specialized surgery as well as long-lasting high fluid procedures.

In a survey amongst 1400 clinicians, two out of three OR clinicians said they found the new KC400 MicroCool* surgical gown was more comfortable than ever and 97% of those surveyed found the fabric softer.1

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Kimberly-Clark’s InteguSeal* highlighted as Top Ten Innovation of 2009 by NHS Supply Chain

10 December 2009

InteguSeal*, the microbial sealant from Kimberly-Clark, has been named by the NHS Supply Chain as one of its top 10 innovations of 2009.

InteguSeal* was highlighted for the honour as one of NHS Supply Chain’s current showcase of innovative products delivering true value to the NHS. Designed to reduce the risk of skin flora contamination throughout a surgical procedure, InteguSeal* was cited for its contribution in fighting ‘against surgical site infections by forming a protective layer on the skin throughout even extended surgical procedures’.

The announcement of the Top Ten Innovations of 2009 was made as part of the launch of NHS Supply Chain’s new process called Innovation Scorecard which encourages suppliers to register innovative products for potential use within the NHS. It was developed in association with the NHS National Innovation Centre (NIC) and enables NHS Supply Chain to offer pilot contracts to suppliers and deliver value and innovation to trusts.

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Kimberly-Clark announces definitive agreement to acquire I-Flow Corporation

9 October 2009

Purchase Increases Kimberly-Clark Health Care’s Medical Device Sales by More than 50 Percent and Expands Gross Margins

DALLAS and LAKE FOREST, Calif., Oct. 9, 2009 – Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NYSE: KMB) and I-Flow Corporation (NASDAQ: IFLO), a leading healthcare company that develops and markets technically advanced, low-cost drug delivery systems and innovative products for post-surgical pain relief and surgical site care, today announced a definitive agreement whereby I-Flow will be acquired in a cash tender offer for approximately $324 million on a fully diluted basis. The total transaction value, which is net of acquired cash and cash equivalents, is about $276 million. I-Flow will operate as part of Kimberly-Clark Health Care, a global business segment of Kimberly-Clark Corporation, with net sales of more than $1 billion, and a leading provider of infection control solutions, surgical solutions, and medical devices for pain management, respiratory and digestive health.

Founded in 1985, I-Flow Corporation is a leader and innovator in pain management and drug delivery technology for physicians and their patients. I-Flow’s suite of pain management products, led by its flagship line, the ON-Q® Pain Relief System (ON-Q), provides reliable and simple non-narcotic, regional anesthesia therapies that redefine post-surgical recovery by eliminating many of the side effects customarily associated with narcotics. Clinical studies have shown that patients who receive ON-Q generally get back to normal faster after surgery, which results in shorter hospital stays, reduced costs and higher patient satisfaction. I-Flow has approximately 1,260 employees and reported net sales of about $133 million for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008.

“The acquisition of I-Flow is consistent with our global business plan strategy to expand our Health Care business to include higher-growth, higher-margin medical devices,” said Joanne Bauer, president, Kimberly-Clark Health Care. “I-Flow will increase our medical device sales by more than 50 percent, add an innovative and successful technology to our growing portfolio of pain management and surgical solution products, and strengthen the depth and breadth of our sales force. Moreover, I-Flow has a solid track record of generating strong sales growth and healthy gross margins.”

“Combining forces with a global leader such as Kimberly-Clark Health Care will enable future growth, and provide a platform to more broadly deliver pain relief and surgical site care, which is important for patients, physicians and healthcare providers,” said Donald M. Earhart, chairman and chief executive officer of I-Flow.

Under the terms of the agreement, Kimberly-Clark will commence a tender offer to purchase all outstanding shares of I-Flow at $12.65 per share. The tender offer price represents a 31 percent premium to I-Flow’s most recent 60-day average share price and is conditioned on the tender of a majority of the outstanding shares of I-Flow’s common stock, calculated on a fully diluted basis. The Boards of Directors of both companies have unanimously approved the transaction. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2009, subject to customary closing conditions, including expiration of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act and other foreign regulatory approvals.

Upon closing, the transaction is expected to be modestly dilutive to Kimberly-Clark’s 2009 and 2010 earnings per share and accretive beginning in 2011.

Today’s announcement represents the second acquisition that Kimberly-Clark Health Care has made in 2009 to further accelerate the growth of its medical device business. Earlier this week the company announced it acquired the pain management business of Montreal-based Baylis Medical Company.

Goldman, Sachs & Co. acted as exclusive financial advisor to I-Flow. Citi served as exclusive financial advisor to Kimberly-Clark.

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Kimberly-Clark acquires Baylis Medical Company’s Pain Management Business

5 October 2009

Purchase extends Kimberly-Clark Health Care’s reach in the $2 billion market for
chronic spinal pain management products

DALLAS, Oct. 5, 2009 – Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NYSE: KMB) announced today that it has acquired Baylis Medical Company’s pain management business, which includes a number of innovative, minimally-invasive radio-frequency pain management products. Kimberly-Clark’s Health Care business has been the exclusive distributor of Baylis Medical’s pain management products in the U.S. since 2001.

The acquisition improves the competitive position of Kimberly-Clark Health Care in the $2 billion global market for minimally invasive chronic spinal pain management. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“The acquisition of Baylis Medical’s pain management business is consistent with our global business plan strategy to invest in the higher-growth, higher-margin medical device market,” said Joanne Bauer, president, Kimberly-Clark Health Care. “This transaction will enable us to accelerate the growth of our pain management business around the world while strengthening our commitment to patients suffering from chronic spinal pain. Together with Baylis Medical, we’re enhancing patients’ quality of life through minimally invasive, radio-frequency therapies.”

Baylis Medical President Frank Baylis said that today’s announcement is a logical move for both companies. “We are very excited about Kimberly-Clark’s acquisition of Baylis Medical’s pain management business. We’ve enjoyed an excellent and mutually beneficial working relationship over the last eight years and integrating our technology with Kimberly-Clark’s global resources makes for a unique and powerful offering in the pain management category,” he said.

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Kimberly-Clark Health Care brings together best practice guidance for managing H1N1 influenza within intensive care units

30 September 2009

Best practice guidance that brings together a summary of the latest advice and protocols for Intensive Care Units (ICUs) preparing for an escalation of the H1N1 Influenza virus assembled by Kimberly-Clark Health Care.

The guidance extracts relevant information for ICUs from documents published by a wide range of organizations and professional bodies including the World Health Organization (WHO), national Governments in the UK and Portugal, clinical societies in Germany and Ireland as well as information originating in Canada.(1,3,4,5,6)

The guidance initially outlines the need for ICUs to focus upon strict infection control practices and planning for sufficient supplies of key drugs, equipment and staff (1) and for health care workers, patients and visitors to follow the appropriate infection control precautions to minimize the possibility of health-care associated transmission.(2)

Focusing on the control of the spread of respiratory droplets as the proven route of human-to-human transmission, the guidance outlines general personal protective equipment measures in check-list format.(2)

Concentrating specifically on mechanical ventilation, the document draws from key national guidelines in the UK, Ireland, Germany and Portugal which state that closed suctioning should be employed and the ventilator circuit should not be broken unless necessary. (4,5,6)

“The advice in these guidelines is of vital importance in controlling the spread of respiratory droplets,” explains Dr. Lynne Kelley, vice president and senior medical director for Kimberly-Clark. “The safety of the critical care environment as well as the protection of the patient and health care worker is vital. Keeping the system closed during suctioning is the best method of offering the required protection while allowing for continuous ventilation that preserves PEEP (positive end expiratory pressure) thus preventing collapse of the distal air sacs.

“This is the thinking behind our Trach Care Closed suction system for both adults and children because it results in lower levels of environmental contamination, reduced incidence of endogenous contamination and a reduction of hypoxic events. These benefits are of great advantage in any ICU setting but in the specific issues highlighted by the H1N1 Influenza virus they become even more critical.”

The H1N1 guidance is being distributed to ICUs and is available to download from the website www.haiwatch.com

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Kimberly-Clark showcases MIC*, MIC-KEY* INTRODUCER KIT to Interventional Radiologists at CIRSE 2009

15 September 2009

Kimberly-Clark Health Care, the developer of market-leading MIC* and MIC-KEY* range of enteral feeding tubes and accessories, will be giving training sessions at CIRSE 2009 of its MIC* Introducer Kit; a new and innovative solution designed to quickly and safely facilitate the initial placement of its balloon-retained enteral feeding tubes

Doctors from across Europe will be in the CIRSE Learning Centre to share their experience of the MIC* Introducer Kit at a variety of times throughout the five-day meeting. In addition, the Kimberly-Clark team will be on hand from 19th to 23rd September to enable clinicians to use the new tools on demonstration models.

Visitors to the Learning Centre will also be able to watch a physician-facilitated webcast demonstration by Dr Michael Miller from the Duke Medical Center in North Carolina. The webcast featuring the MIC* Introducer Kit is entitled: “An Innovative Fluoroscopic Method for Initial Placement of a Balloon Retained Transgastric-Jejunal Feeding Tube”.

The Kimberly-Clark* MIC*, MIC-KEY* Introducer Kit transforms the initial placement procedure because the uniquely-designed components required for the procedure are now contained in one convenient, easy-to-use kit. The kit eliminates the need for traditional PEG placement and removal for certain clinical indications, thus providing potential savings for the hospital and improving patient comfort”

The MIC*, MIC-KEY* Introducer Kits work with all Kimberly-Clark* MIC* and MIC-KEY* Gastrostomy, Jejunal and Trangastric Jejunal feeding tubes that are specially designed for patients requiring long-term nutritional support.

“We’re delighted that we are able to provide demonstrations of the MIC* Introducer Kit at CIRSE because there is no substitute to being able to see it in action and try the tools for yourself,” explained Vanessa Van Thielen, Senior Product Manager for Digestive Health at Kimberly-Clark Health Care.

“We are very privileged to have several doctors from across Europe who will be sharing their experience with fellow Interventional Radiologists and the webcast from the US adds yet another element to the experience,” she added.

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Kimberly-Clark Health Care donates eyewear to support nurses in Africa

4 September 2009

Kimberly-Clark Health Care is donating 250 pairs of its Safeview* Eyewear to the Friends of African Nursing (FOAN) in support of the charity’s work.

The Safeview* eyewear, which is designed to protect the wearer from splashing or spraying of potentially infectious fluids, will be used in operating theatres by surgical teams.

Jonathan Price, General Manager of Kimberly Clark Health Care in Europe, Middle East and Africa said: “We are delighted to be supporting the Friends of African Nursing who play an invaluable role in supporting their colleagues who often have to work in challenging and difficult conditions. The charity’s achievements in enabling African nurses to develop their skills and increase the quality of patient care is an inspiration to us all.”

Kate Woodhead, one of the founders of FOAN explained: “Patients are very vulnerable especially when they, by reason of poverty, poor nutrition, and co-existing disease, have to undergo surgery. In poorly resourced health systems it may not always be possible to provide the most up to date interventions due to lack of equipment, drugs or knowledge.”

She added: “We believe that knowledge is powerful, and that by providing knowledge and skills to the African nurses who are integral to the patient's care, that it will be possible in time to raise awareness of improvements which increase teamwork, self protection from hazards, professional standards and ultimately increase quality patient care.”

The charity delivers education to Operating Theatre Nurses, working with Ministries of Health, Chief Nursing Officers and nursing organisations to gather nurses together to share their own knowledge amongst themselves and to add to it by delivering education sessions.

Issued by Vivid. For further information contact Caroline Rawlinson on +44 1684 854420 or email caroline@thevividconsultancy.com

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KIMBERLY-CLARK HOSTS LIVE EUROPEAN DEMONSTRATION OF NEW MIC* INTRODUCER KIT AT GEEW WORKSHOP FOR THE FIRST TIME

1 June 2009

The live placement of the Kimberly-Clark MIC* Gastrostomy-tube facilitated by the new, innovative MIC* Introducer Kit is taking place at the 27th Gastroenterology and Endotherapy European Workshop in Belgium (GEEW).

As part of the scientific program at GEEW in Brussels from 22-24 June, Professor Dr. Jacques Deviere, Head of the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepato-Pancreatology at the Erasme Hospital, will perform the procedure in front of more than 700 delegates via a live link from the endoscopic suites at the Erasme Hospital.

The new Kimberly-Clark* MIC*, MIC-KEY* Introducer Kit transforms the initial placement procedure of balloon-retained enteral feeding tubes because the uniquely-designed components required for the procedure are now contained in one convenient, easy-to-use kit. The kit eliminates the need for traditional PEG placement and removal for certain clinical indications, thus providing potential savings for the hospital and improving patient comfort.

The MIC*, MIC-KEY* Introducer Kits work with all Kimberly-Clark* MIC* and MIC-KEY* Gastrostomy, Jejunal and Trangastric Jejunal feeding tubes that are specially designed for patients requiring long-term nutritional support. Further details can be found at www.kcdigestivehealth.com

First held in 1983, GEEW has become established as one of the largest European Workshops in its field hosting around 750 gastroenterologists, endoscopists, nurses and GI assistants from countries throughout Europe. Information about the 2009 scientific programme and exhibition at GEEW can be found at www.live-endoscopy.com

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