Thermo Fisher Scientific Successfully Tests Emergency Department Notification System at UPMC

Nov. 9, 2010 - PRLog -- OAKWOOD VILLAGE, Ohio – Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, announced that the Thermo Scientific Hospital Emergency Department Notification System (EDNS) for disaster response has been successfully tested at the UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh. The Thermo Scientific radiation detection system is designed to protect a hospital’s vital assets by quickly and accurately locating and discriminating threat-based radiation from normal hospital radiation before contamination can spread throughout the facility. The pilot program in Pittsburgh, which conducted real-time data collection and real-life scenario testing, was a partnership effort between Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Radiation Measurement and Security Instruments business and UPMC, including UPMC Presbyterian’s disaster management team and Department of Radiation Oncology.

“The overriding advantage of the Thermo Scientific emergency notification system is that it can spot potentially dangerous radioisotopes amid normal, low-level radiation sources typically found in any major hospital environment,” said Joel Greenberger, M.D., chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology at UPMC Presbyterian. “The system can also locate and effectively track the movement of non-medical radioactive sources, thus preventing contamination from spreading throughout a hospital and possibly paralyzing its vital, critical functions. The EDNS could prove beneficial for every hospital that potentially faces a large influx of patients and equipment from disasters such as dirty bomb explosions or other emergencies where dangerous radioactive materials would be involved.”

The core of the Thermo Scientific EDNS solution for the UPMC test program consists of large volume sodium iodine (Nal) detectors and a system control unit with licensed Sandia National Laboratory spectrum analysis algorithms. The system is networked with Thermo Scientific ViewPoint™ Enterprise Monitoring software that provides real-time and historical data and analysis with alarm notification. Data is collected and displayed via the ViewPoint server across the UPMC network using several different viewing applications. Alarm notifications, triggered by detector set points, are communicated to specific hospital personnel and first responders through a combination of standard and wireless technology, as well as through strategically positioned camera surveillance that assists in the tracking of threat-based radioactive contamination. A hand-held Interceptor™ isotopic identifying instrument is utilized to frisk the suspected object or individual to further determine the source of the contamination.

“UPMC has proven to be an excellent partner in finding an effective solution in radiation disaster response for hospitals,” said Rich Palatine, product line manager for Thermo Scientific integrated solutions. “In a simulated radiation event, UPMC’s flagship hospital in Pittsburgh was able to put our EDNS to the maximum test and it came through with flying colors. UPMC’s own network systems and communication protocols, not to mention its thorough knowledge of hospital operations and radiological parameters, substantively contributed to this positive outcome. Needless to say, we are quite pleased to be associated with an outstanding medical institution that is respected worldwide and to now have UPMC as a partner.”

For more information about Thermo Fisher Scientific’s radiation detection solutions, please visit http://www.thermoscientific.com/rmp.

About UPMC
UPMC is an $8 billion global health enterprise with almost 50,000 employees headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa., and is transforming health care by integrating 20 hospitals, 400 doctors’ offices and outpatient sites, a health insurance services division, and international and commercial services. Redefining health care by using innovative science, technology and medicine to invent new models of accountable, cost-efficient and patient-centered care, UPMC is taking medicine from where it is to where it needs to be. For more information, go to http://www.upmc.com.  

About Thermo Fisher Scientific
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.  is the world leader in serving science. Our mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. With revenues of more than $10 billion, we have approximately 35,000 employees and serve customers within pharmaceutical and biotech companies, hospitals and clinical diagnostic labs, universities, research institutions and government agencies, as well as in environmental and process control industries. We create value for our key stakeholders through two premier brands, Thermo Scientific and Fisher Scientific, which offer a unique combination of continuous technology development and the most convenient purchasing options. Our products and services help accelerate the pace of scientific discovery, and solve analytical challenges ranging from complex research to routine testing to field applications. Visit http://www.thermofisher.com.

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Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.  is the world leader in serving science. Our mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer.