Months before Medline officially made its new ComfortTemp® Patient Warming System available to all customers this spring, Jennifer Jones and her team at High Pointe Surgery Center in Lake Elmo, Minn., were among the first outside clinicians to give the product a try.

You could say they got attached.

Securely.

“We liked everything about the system, everything about how it was designed,” said Jones, the pre- and post-operation surgery manager at High Pointe, a physician-owned center just outside Minneapolis that handles roughly 500 procedures per month, mostly in orthopedics. “One of the nicest parts for us was the lock-in connector. The hose truly latches in and doesn’t fall off the blanket.”

Ah, yes, the hoses. Patient warming systems maintain optimal body temperature before, during and after surgery – a measure that prevents perioperative hypothermia and reduces the risk of cardiac complications, wound infections and increased blood loss. They generally consist of three parts: a portable air blower with temperature settings, a blanket or gown for the patient and a hose running in between, with various clamps and clips to help route the hose along an operating table or bed. Unplanned hose detachment had been a common complaint with High Pointe’s previous warming system.

“That was always very frustrating,” Jones said. “Any time a bed moved, there was a chance the hose would fall off and hit the floor, which could damage the temperature sensors. Once those break, you have to get a whole new hose. Dragging it on the ground causes wear also, so our hoses often needed to be draped over the machine – there was never a good place to put them.

“With ComfortTemp, we can secure the hose along the bottom of the device and only use as much of it as we need.”

That was exactly the sort of assessment ComfortTemp’s developers were hoping for last fall and winter when they trialed the system with High Pointe and 25 other Medline customers, mostly ambulatory surgery centers alerted to the new offering by Medline sales representatives. Emily Barkowski, group product manager, and Charlie Ling, product manager, said the candid feedback that customers shared about their daily needs and their challenges with other systems was essential as the team fine-tuned ComfortTemp’s design.

“We focused on addressing common pain points and enhancing overall performance and user experience wherever possible,” Ling said. “Driven by customer feedback, we thoughtfully designed the ComfortTemp system to minimize noise in the operating room, feature a durable hose with dual clips for secure placement and deliver a streamlined experience for clinicians, making it a standout solution in patient warming.”

That determination to build a better mousetrap led to a number of other distinctive features:

• A rotating elbow connector that allows the hose to be turned 180 degrees for better positioning
• A steel carrier unit, bedrail mounts and an IV pole clamp to provide more blower setup options in different care settings
• Eight types of over- and under-body disposable blankets that stay folded without linens, reducing overall linen use
• Aurora Medline gowns with a detachable upper- and lower-body blanket and adjustable fit
• Ultra-Fresh™ antimicrobial additive in the resin of the blower and hose to protect the product against bacteria

Seeing all that for themselves (except for the gowns, which were introduced in later customer trials), the High Pointe team didn’t need much time to declare itself convinced. Its ComfortTemp trial lasted a day. Emily Maultra, High Pointe’s longtime Medline sales representative, had initially mentioned the product to Jones during a routine business review.

“I had heard the team’s expressed concerns, and the conversation just evolved naturally,” Maultra said. “They had some issues. I knew Medline had a solution coming.”

After the one-day trial involving multiple staff members, Jones had made up her mind.

“We called Emily and told her we wanted to switch to ComfortTemp immediately,” she said. “It all happened really fast and seamlessly.”

There was one last step: an orientation conducted by Maultra to make sure Jones’ staff were all versed in the safe and effective use of ComfortTemp, including latching the hoses correctly into the blankets. Today, ComfortTemp is the only warming system used across the facility’s five operating rooms, 10 pre-op rooms, six critical-care recovery bays and seven discharge rooms – on every surgical patient who comes through the OR.

Beyond the improved user experience, switching to ComfortTemp also has helped High Pointe’s bottom line – around 8% in annual savings on patient warmers since the transition, Ling confirmed.

“We’re hearing from customers who have faced service and supply problems or contractual limitations with other systems and are really excited to hear about a new player in the market,” Ling said. “Our reps proactively bring ComfortTemp up now as a solution to highlight the strong savings potential. Once customers learn about the features, advantages and cost savings, we’re finding it’s easy to move forward.”

For Jones, the experience has been further proof that Maultra and Medline have her team – and quite literally their patients – covered.

“Emily is so helpful in finding what fits us the best and making sure we have what we need to provide care extremely well,” said Jones (far right, with Maultra). “She knows us – knows what we like and want. Medline has been amazing to us. We function the way we do because of Medline.”

Watch an in-service video about ComfortTemp or visit the product page at Medline.com to learn more or request a demo.