• Dale Medical Products (Plainville, Massachusetts) has introduced a new Foley catheter for short-term patient use. The Dale Hold-n-Place Foley Catheter Holder is an adhesive patch which has a clear, base and a locking tab that features a dual holding system of adhesive and hook-and-loop to secure the indwelling catheter. Stabilizing the catheter to prevent movement and dislodgment helps reduce the likelihood of metal irritation, bladder spasms and urethral erosion. The re-sealable system allows the catheter to be repositioned multiple times. The center locking tab of the bandage can be secured at the "Y" port or on the drainage tube itself, and creates a low profile that keeps the tube close to the patient. For long-term catheterization, the firm's leg band holder is soft, stretches without narrowing to avoid the "tourniquet effect" and meets WOCN guidelines.

• Derma Sciences (Princeton, New Jersey) reported FDA clearance for the Bioguard Barrier Dressings. Derma Sciences says that along with a superior rate of target-specific kill, what makes Bioguard different from other infection control dressings is the permanent, non-leaching bond between the dressing substrate and the active agent. The Nimbus cationic biocide is permanently bonded to the gauze, keeping it from depleting in the presence of wound fluid and bacteria, while killing microbes that are drawn into the absorbent dressing.

• DSM Biomedical (Berkeley, California) said it has launched ComfortCoat, a lubricious hydrophilic coating designed to enhance maneuverability of metal guidewires in minimally invasive procedures. Metal guidewires are more easily maneuvered within a patient's vasculature when the friction between the walls of the vessel and the intravascular guidewire is reduced by coating the device with a hydrophilic compound that becomes slippery after adsorbing water—for example, when the coated device is exposed to water prior to insertion into a patient or into a patient's blood during use. However, it is important to note that, typically, hydrophilic coatings cannot be applied to metal guidewires because their adhesion to metal is poor, especially in the case of coiled guidewires. DSM says that with ComfortCoat, adhesion to metal is not a problem; lubricity is maintained on the metal guidewire, which may enhance neurovascular maneuverability.

• InterCure (New York) said that its RESPeRATE hypertension treatment device, clinically-proven to significantly lower blood pressure, will be sold in more than 800 Rite Aid retail stores throughout the West Coast. The company says that RESPeRATE is the only medical device on the market clinically proven to lower blood pressure through paced breathing therapy. The device uses the body's natural tendency to follow external rhythms, interactively guiding the user to effortlessly reduce their breathing rate to a "therapeutic zone" of less than 10 breaths per minute. The breathing exercises with RESPeRATE relax the constricted muscles surrounding the small blood vessels, allowing the blood to flow more freely and yielding a significant and lasting reduction of blood pressure within weeks.

• Kronos (Chelmsford, Massachusetts) reported new capabilities for the Workforce Central suite. This employee scheduling solution optimizes nurse schedules and helps healthcare organizations control labor costs and improve workforce productivity. In Workforce Central 6.1, employees are now able to set their schedule preferences, view open shifts, and request to fill those shifts as they become available. Version 6.1 also enables employees to request open shifts as they become available. Employees can see — on a single screen — all the information necessary to guide them through planning a change to their schedules.

• Metabolon (Research Triangle Park, North Carolina) reported the release of the mFocus TST (Tissue-based Sarcosine Test), a research-use-only assay that measures the level of sarcosine in a biological sample. Based on biomarkers identified in a study conducted by Metabolon to better understand the metabolic changes associated with prostate cancer progression, the assay reports a biochemistry-based measurement of prostate cancer aggressiveness.