Teleflex launches Hudson RCI Softech Plus to help clinicians

Teleflex Incorporated (NYSE: TFX) has announced the introduction of Hudson RCI® Softech Plus, a line of oxygen cannulas designed to help clinicians improve patient comfort and reduce DEHP exposure.    

When it comes to respiratory care, patients and caregivers around the world look to Hudson RCI for innovative products that provide added safety and comfort. Softech Plus is the ideal choice for comfortable, safe oxygen delivery using an advanced combination of soft, non-DEHP material and improved product design.

The Softech Plus line of adult, pediatric, infant and neonatal oxygen cannulas feature a soft material in both the cannula and the lariat tubing, which runs from the nasal prongs up to, over and around the ear. Softer materials have traditionally only been used for the prongs. By expanding this soft design to the lariat, Hudson RCI delivers a superior cannula which will improve comfort around the patient's ears.

This new line of cannulas also features a non-DEHP material. Traditional nasal cannulas are commonly made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC). PVC is durable, inexpensive and easily manufactured. However, the use of PVC in cannula manufacturing requires the addition of plasticizers to make the material more pliable. DEHP (di(2 ethylhexyl)phthalate) is the most often used plasticizer in PVC products.

Studies with laboratory animals have shown that exposure to DEHP may produce a range of effects. Thus, the subject of DEHP and its potential health risks is being debated based on the possibility of plasticizers leaching from PVC.

"Softech Plus will help clinicians reduce DEHP exposure, improve patient comfort, and enhance the quality of care," said Cary Vance, President, Teleflex Anesthesia and Respiratory. "It's a novel solution that supports the Teleflex mission to provide products that enhance clinical benefits, improve patient safety and reduce total procedural costs."