Cardinal Health ORwell

Cardinal Health, a 100 billion revenue global manufacturer and distributor of medical devices and pharmaceuticals, worked with Product Development Technologies (PDT)'s team of experts to find a new way to safely manage and reduce the highly pathogenic fluid waste generated during surgeries. Orwell is a revolutionary, completely contained system that can operate safely in the fast paced and highly regulated environment of the modern operating setting.

The development team integrated itself into the highly complex environment of hospital surgery centers to conduct research to fully understand the issues, current systems and protocols. This intensive research was the first phase in a two year informed development path that led Cardinal Health toward a safer and more effective solution. Orwell, the next generation in surgical fluid collection and disposal systems, is the result of this intensive effort. Designed in collaboration with frontline healthcare professionals, the resulting solution is the only closed surgical fluid collection and disposal system that employs a single-use disposable collection disc with a 20 liter liner and an automated wall mounted docking station to minimize patient contamination and staff exposure. Its innovative, closed system approach led to a design with a low center of gravity and one-third less weight than competitive systems providing easy maneuverability through hallways, doorways and crowded operating rooms.

Orwell's ergonomic design and effortless "hands off" operation allows clinicians to simply dock the unit to initiate an automated disposal process. This feature significantly reduces the volume and the risk of contact with red-bag hazardous waste keeping focus on patients and safety and not the equipment.

PDT Joins OCMV

PDT has joined Orange Coast Medical Ventures (OCMV), a business incubator promoting the growth of newly formed medical device businesses in Orange County, California. OCMV evaluates, develops, and nurtures these startups into autonomous, profitable companies that promise to deliver the next generation of medical device breakthroughs. As a partner, PDT will be working with OCMV medical device companies, providing strategic business and product development expertise to help commercialize their technologies. With its extensive experience in all phases of medical product development, PDT was a perfect fit for this relationship.

"Having worked on several cutting edge, university derived medical device programs, we understand the potential to unlock an incredible range of research-driven innovation from physicians and bio engineers working in that environment. Our new relationship with OCMV promises to let PDT help bring some of these exciting new technologies to market, in partnership with an incubator focused on ensuring the success of new businesses built on those advancements. It will also benefit PDT's existing client base by putting us on the front line of innovation," says Joel Delman, PDT's Los Angeles Design Director.

Spark!

The Next Generation Perkins/APH Brailler has made an enormous impact in both the lives of those who use braille to communicate and the design world. It has been honored with many awards over the past year and has just grabbed another- a Spark Award. The Spark Awards are about honoring change- designed change- supporting multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural, global and aspirational design- for all. Chosen by a jury of thirteen professionals from across the spectrum of design disciplines, the awards take into consideration a product's inventiveness, innovation, sustainability, elegance and beauty, functionality, integration, durability, implementation, safety and ergonomics, personal connection and aspiration.