Medical Device Link.

SPECIAL SECTION

Praise for the enteral feeding pumps supplied by Zevex International Inc. (Salt Lake City, UT, USA) has come from many quarters. Clinicians and patients have embraced the robust-yet-portable pumps, used to deliver feedings in home-, critical-, and long-term-care settings. The company’s global distribution partners have honoured it, as well.

Marketed in the United States under the EnteraLite Infinity name, the Flocare Infinity enteral feeding pump from Zevex International has also conquered the European market.

The EnteraLite Infinity, the version of the product marketed in the United States, received a Medical Design Excellence Award from Canon Communications llc (which also publishes this magazine) in 2005. And in May, Zevex received an Innovation Booster Award from Royal Numico (Schiphol, Netherlands) following the successful introduction of the Flocare Infinity pump to the European market.

One objective during product development was to create a pump that could be washed under running water. “Our goal was to make a leap forward in how robust an enteral pump could be,” says Zevex CEO David McNally. A variety of sensing technologies allowed the clear housing to be kept sealed during manufacture. The display was placed within the housing, and a two-shot overmoulding process was used to mould a compliant keyboard. To maintain small package size and robustness, a worm-gear drive system was used in the peristaltic motor. The latest generation of lithium ion batteries power the device for 24 hours on a single charge.

The device improves outcomes for patients, allowing them to have their feedings even in remote locations and at any time of day. But it also led to positive outcomes for both Zevex and Royal Numico. Zevex gained a global distribution partner that could bring its products to 32 countries, while Numico gained an experienced technology partner.

“It was perfect timing that Royal Numico and Zevex found each other in our search for global expansion,” says McNally. Royal Numico, a specialized nutrition company, had been developing and manufacturing its own pumps, but was looking for a technology partner for the future, McNally explains. “It made a tremendous outsourcing decision, shutting down its own manufacturing and service facility and transferring all of it to Zevex,” he says. “The innovation of the technology is helping Numico to continue to successfully grow its market share.”

In addition to its own products, Zevex also provides contract manufacturing of Class II and Class III electromechanical devices and a range of other services to medical device OEMs.