Airways Product Manager at Intersurgical, Intersurgical
Q: What is your background and how long have you worked for Intersurgical?
A: I have been working with the marketing of medical devices since 1994, and prior to this, I worked in medical sales, following a career in the UK National Health Service. I joined Intersurgical in 2000 and have been the Airway Group Product Manager since 2006.
Q: How has the Intersurgical airway management product range developed in the last five years?
A: The last five years has seen the introduction of a number of new products, including our InterGuide & InterForm bougies and stylets and our InTube range of endotracheal tubes. However, perhaps the most significant development has been to our i-gel® range of supraglottic airways. In 2010 we introduced four new paediatric sizes and in 2012 we introduced the i-gel® O2 Resus Pack, specially designed for use during in-hospital and out-of hospital cardiac arrest. As well as a modified i-gel® with a supplementary oxygen port, the Resus Pack includes a sachet of lubricant for quick and easy lubrication of the i-gel® O2 prior to insertion, an airway support strap to secure the i-gel® O2 in position and a suction tube for insertion through the gastric channel to allow emptying of fluid from the stomach.
Q: What innovations/innovative products can we find in the airway management range?
A: Our airway management range includes a number of innovative devices, including our One-piece Guedel airways and the Intersurgical i-gel® supraglottic airway. The One-piece Guedel airway represents the first major breakthrough in Guedel airway design for thirty years. Loose or detached bite blocks constitute a real threat to patient safety and have been the subject of several hazard notices in the past. Our one-piece design overcomes this problem by eliminating the separate bite block found in conventional Guedel airways. Our i-gel® supraglottic airway is a novel and innovative 2nd generation supraglottic airway with a unique soft, gel-like, non-inflatable cuff and has been the subject of over 150 clinical studies, case reports and published correspondence. It is now widely used during resuscitation as well as for securing and maintaining a patent airway during anaesthesia.
Q: What is the future of airway management for Intersurgical?
A: There are many unanswered questions in the field of airway management, including the best technique for airway management during the first few minutes of cardiac arrest and whether passive oxygenation may have a useful role to play during CPR. As the technique of managing the airway continues to evolve, we will continue to offer our customers quality, innovation and choice, by developing new products that respond to the challenge and increasing demands of improving safety and enhancing performance whilst maintaining the very highest levels of quality control.
