APPARATUS FOR THE PREVENTION OF CATHETER INFECTIONS

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In the United States each year 20 million hospital patients are catheterized. Catheter related infections are associated with increased morbidity, mortality rates of between 10% and 20%, prolonged hospitalization, and increased medical costs of thousands of dollars per patient. The skin of a catheterized patient is the most common source for the microorganisms that are associated with catheter infections. Lynntech Inc has developed a revolutionary method of making miniaturized ozone generators that can be used to supply a measured dose of ozone gas to a specific area of skin in a safe and controlled manner. The unit, containing the micro ozone generator, fluid management system, power supply, and necessary electronics, will have dimensions no larger than a wrist watch, and cost less than $5. During the Phase I research, we will develop and build a fully contained ozonation unit for bench scale testing. The Phase I feasibility study will demonstrate that the unit can be used to successfully prevent bacteria migration and prevent catheter contamination. Extended testing will show the long term benefits of the system when compared to other treatments such as antibiotic bonded catheters, silver coated catheters, and silver-sulfadiazine solution. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: It is the many applications of this technology that make it so attractive. This technology is not just applicable to catheter infection prevention. There are many areas of infection prevention such as burn wound treatment and plastic surgery that would benefit greatly from this product.