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We continue our series of articles on the advantages and features of HEINE blades. In this article, we will look at aspects concerning patient safety.
HEINE blades with the smoothSURFACE quality seal can be sterilized safely and hygienically.
To date, not a single nosocomial case-i.e., infection caused by a hospital germ-has ever been reported worldwide from a HEINE Classic+ laryngoscope blade.
This is what the HEINE smoothSURFACE quality seal means:
In short: the blades are sterilized quickly, easily, reliably, and hygienically.
HEINE blades with the smoothSURFACE quality seal can be sterilized safely and hygienically.
The tip of the blade is particularly important at the beginning of intubation, in order to carefully lift the epiglottis. And to treat sensitive mucous membranes with utmost care.
At the same time, the blade must not have:
We guarantee this thanks to our 100% quality control, where every blade is tested 51 times.
Only then does a HEINE blade earn the smoothSURFACE quality seal.
See also Reason No. 4: meticulous blade finishing.
Thanks to their bright and crystal-clear optics, our fiber-optic (F.O.) blades ensure unmatched efficiency and reliability.
We have been continuously optimizing our blades for over 40 years. In 1980, the first integrated fiber-optic (F.O.) blade was created, consisting of around 6,500 individual fibers assembled into a single bundle.
The flexible glass fiber we use is the best available on the market. When forming the bundle, trimming, and polishing the edges, we pay close attention to ensure the fibers do not break, light output remains ideal, and the edges are 100% precise and smooth as a mirror.
More on this topic in the following sections and in Reason No. 14, and information on our 10-year warranty in Reason No. 1.
As you can see in the picture on the left, the light from a HEINE blade is centered, 2 cm in front of the blade tip-focused on the epiglottis and vocal cords. Exactly where it matters.
With many other blades, this is not the case-as you can see in the picture on the right, much less is visible.
By the way: it’s not about the number of glass fibers, nor especially high values in lux or lumens, but the light output at about 2 cm from the blade tip. And ours is the best, see the picture above again.
This shows that even products that have been on the market for 60 years can still be continuously improved, see more in Reason No. 2.
Protection of the light guide and prevention of cross-contamination are among HEINE’s top priorities. This means absolute reliability, user safety, and patient safety.
That’s why our fiber bundle is completely invisible. Because only then can nothing happen to it, efficiency and functionality are guaranteed-for many, many years.
As a result, the manufacturing of our Macintosh blades and our unique 10-year warranty are one of a kind worldwide. Naturally, our blades don’t need to be disassembled for sterilization or reassembled after cleaning.
So look out for the HEINE smoothSURFACE quality seal. And read more about this in Reasons No. 6 and 7.
Our users can be confident that illumination will remain bright and reliable even after many, many autoclaving cycles.
When choosing the temperatures at which we test our fiber-optic (F.O.) light guides, we tend to exaggerate: our fiber bundles are bonded only at 160 °C.
And that’s despite the fact that reprocessing temperatures-even for steam sterilization-never exceed 134 °C.
But as the saying goes: better safe than sorry.
To ensure that no fluids can enter the blade during intubation or sterilization, and to avoid cross-contamination, our fiber bundles are not only bonded but also press-fitted.
For this purpose, a steel ring is placed around the corresponding end of the fiber bundle, providing both hermetic sealing and stable protection when the blade is repeatedly mounted on or removed from the handle.
At the same time, it ensures maximum efficient light transmission from handle to blade. Here again, our German precision and pursuit of perfection show: we conduct a pressure test at 3 bar to check tightness. Again, 100% quality control for each blade.
Thus, we subject our blades to stresses many times greater than those they will ever face during countless sterilizations.
For comparison: a car tire has a pressure of around 2 bar.
We pay particular attention to polishing the fiber bundle end to a smooth finish.
On one hand, so that our blades can be disinfected quickly, easily, and safely at this stage, see also Reason No. 6: HEINE smoothSURFACE.
On the other hand, so that light can pass seamlessly from handle to blade without scattering or energy loss, emerging evenly bright and shadow-free at the blade tip.
See also Reason No. 8. (1)
Since 100% reliability is essential in intubation, we test and retest our blades a total of 51 times before release.
Each blade, 51 times. Not random sampling, as is usually the case, but actually each and every blade.
This includes edges and surfaces, proper seating of balls, fiber-optic tension, light field control, and secure latching. Simply checking every essential function. We like doing this not just once, but over and over again. As a result, HEINE blades work. Again and again, always.
Intubating newborns is an especially challenging and critical task. Often doctors have only a few seconds to perform the procedure, because when patients (especially infants and small children) suffer from hypoxia, urgent and timely help is needed.
The exclusive HEINE Paed blade design gives medical professionals the flexibility they need to overcome any situation.
HEINE Paed blades allow both direct and indirect manipulation of the epiglottis.
No other blade can offer this-and in situations where every second counts, it can mean the difference between life and death.
For quick and safe intubation, bright, concentrated, and homogeneous illumination of the pharyngeal area is required. HEINE has set a new standard-HEINE LED quality. In short: LEDHQ.
Specifically about the service life of our LEDHQ: thanks to special thermal management with materials such as ceramic, conductive foil, and an aluminum heat sink, the LEDHQ always operates in the optimal temperature range. This guarantees consistently high performance and an almost unlimited lifespan.
Our LEDHQ instruments are practically maintenance-free, since there is no longer any need to replace the light source.
Yet another HEINE feature that simplifies disinfection, reduces required time, and lowers training costs, see also Reason No. 6: simple and safe sterilization thanks to HEINE smoothSURFACE.
The HEINE EasyClean handle for our blades is a 100% waterproof LED handle that can be disinfected and sterilized without disassembly.
A quick note on disposable handles: after each use, the waste pile grows with 2 batteries, an LED, and harmful plastic. Doesn’t unlimited service life sound like a better option?
“Hand me a quick Mac 3!” Sometimes intubation must be done quickly-and without errors. The new labeling on our Classic+ blades is highly visible and easy to read, even through film packaging. This allows the right blade to be picked up faster.
This was a practical request from our users, and we were happy to implement it. A great example that even after 60 years we can still find meaningful and important improvements. All it takes is listening carefully when talking to your customers.
HEINE Optotechnik – Quality Made in Germany. Verification.
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