CSMG Technologies (Corpus Christi, Texas) a technology management company, said that its subsidiary, Live Tissue Connect (LTC), has opened its headquarters in Santa Barbara, California.

Don Robbins, president/CEO of CSMG, said, “We are pleased to have opened the LTC worldwide headquarters in Santa Barbara, California. We have expanded our patent portfolio, received CE-mark approval on our electrosurgery generator, and with commercial manufacturing of instruments and generators in-process, we need to have a facility for our growing staff.”

LTC's surgical tissue bonding/welding device is a platform technology that bonds and reconnects human soft tissue through fusion, in contrast with conventional wound closing devices such as sutures, staples, sealant, or glues.

Florida Tissue Services AATB-accredited

Florida Tissue Services, a subsidiary of LifeNet Health (FTS; Virginia Beach, Virginia), received its accreditation from the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB).

AATB inspectors examined FTS for compliance with the Association's standards and policies, including record-keeping, quality control, quality assurance, donor screening, testing and suitability determinations. Tissue banks receive accreditation from the AATB for retrieval, processing, storage, and/or distribution of tissue. An independent review was done at FTS to review its standard operating procedures and conduct an on-site inspection of its facilities and operations.

LifeNet Health is a biomedical alloengineering organization and organ and tissue donation agency.

Premier provides latex-free catalog

The Premier (Charlotte, North Carolina) healthcare alliance reported the availability to Premier members of the group purchasing industry's most comprehensive latex-free catalog that identifies latex-free products for employees, patients and physicians with latex allergies. The 600-page catalog contains 16,675 items in 250 product groups representing 445 suppliers.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in 10 people are sensitive to natural rubber latex. Among individuals with latex allergies, repeated exposure to latex results in sensitization and increased risk of allergic reactions. High-risk groups for latex sensitization include healthcare workers and patients with early and repeated exposures to latex, such as infants with congenital spina bifida having multiple surgeries.

Latex allergic reactions can range from mild skin rashes to severe and life-threatening anaphylactic shock. Since no known cure for latex allergy exists, avoidance of latex exposure is the only protection.

Owned by not-for-profit hospitals, Premier operates one of the leading healthcare purchasing networks and the nation's most comprehensive repository of hospital clinical and financial information.