MedClean Technologies approved in New Jersey

MedClean Technologies (Bethel, Connecticut), a provider of technology and services for onsite treatment and disposal of regulated medical waste (RMW), said that it has been approved to proceed with sales and installation efforts in New Jersey following a joint authorization issued by the state Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Health and Senior Services.

The authorization was the culmination of an extensive review process during which MedClean executives and industry consultants collaborated closely with senior members of both New Jersey departments. The approval enables Garden State hospitals to enjoy MedClean's program of guaranteed savings on costs for off-site hauling and treatment of regulated medical waste, sharps and HIPAA-compliant confidential document destruction.

SpineWorks Medical changes name

SpineWorks Medical (San Jose, California) said that the company's shareholders and board approved a name change to SpineAlign Medical.

In December 2008, the USPTO approved the company's federal trademark application for the SpineAlign mark. "We were excited about the approval of the SpineAlign name for our product offering and naming the company as well allows us to make the investment into one brand identity," said CEO Paul Chirico.

Study shows bacterial sepsis concerns

bioMérieux (Durham, North Carolina), an in vitro diagnostics company, reported the results of three surveys aimed at assessing opinions regarding bacterial sepsis in U.S. hospitals and the importance of new technologies and/or methods to solve current complexities surrounding diagnosis and treatment.

Over 90% of the physicians surveyed reported that they need a tool that would help them monitor the progression of sepsis over a 24-hour period because the condition can so rapidly turn fatal. Sepsis is an inflammatory response to an infection. The condition can be difficult to diagnose because of overlapping and non-specific symptoms, such as elevated heart rate, rapid breathing and fever.

In conjunction with the results of the surveys, bioMérieux reported introduction of the VIDAS B.R.A.H.M.S PCT, which is a 20-minute test to detect levels of procalcitonin (PCT), a telltale sign of systemic bacterial infection. The PCT recently received FDA clearance to assess the patient's risk of progression to severe sepsis and septic shock. PCT, the prohormone of calcitonin, can be produced by numerous cell types and organs after proinflammatory stimulation, especially when caused by bacterial infection, making PCT an ideal indicator of systemic bacterial infection and sepsis.