ZOLL Medical, HealthTrust Purchasing Group enter into purchasing agreement

ZOLL Medical Corporation (NasdaqGS: ZOLL), a manufacturer of medical devices and related software solutions, announced today that HealthTrust Purchasing Group, LP (HealthTrust), a leading healthcare group purchasing organization (GPO), has entered into a purchasing agreement with ZOLL for its therapeutic temperature management equipment.

“We are extremely pleased that this large group purchasing organization, which has very high member commitment to buying products under its contracts, recognizes the advantages of our IVTM solution, and is offering its members the opportunity to incorporate this technology to improve the treatment of critical care patients”

Under the terms of the agreement, HealthTrust members will be able to purchase ZOLL’s intravascular temperature management (IVTM^™) system, which includes the Thermogard XP^® temperature management console and a family of cooling/warming catheters with triple lumen central venous capability.

“We are extremely pleased that this large group purchasing organization, which has very high member commitment to buying products under its contracts, recognizes the advantages of our IVTM solution, and is offering its members the opportunity to incorporate this technology to improve the treatment of critical care patients,” said Richard A. Packer, Chairman and CEO of ZOLL.

Today, major medical societies recommend temperature management as the standard of care treatment for many critically ill or surgical patients. IVTM provides cooling and warming from a catheter inserted into the patient’s vein. This provides better control of the core body temperature by direct cooling or warming the patient’s blood as it circulates through the body. Since it is efficient, precise and easy to use, IVTM frees up nursing time.

IVTM provides a variety of catheter options depending upon the specific patient needs. It is ideally suited for the temperature management of fever, intracranial pressure control and induced hypothermia. IVTM is also effective for therapeutic warming as required in treating trauma, burns, perioperative procedures and accidental hypothermia. Additionally, recent publications have described cost reductions for hospital systems, based upon the reduced length of stay in the ICU with the implementation of aggressive fever management protocols.