Press releases

Miele Professional now international distributor for 'trophon EPR' system

Gütersloh/Düsseldorf, November 12, 2014 No. 158/2014

Clinical study confirms high-level ultrasound probe hygiene

Since April 2014, Miele Professional has been distributor of the 'trophon EPR' system from the Australian manufacturer Nanosonics. This allows ultra-sound probes to be disinfected fast, simply and in a validatable process and guarantees maximum protection against the spread of infectious diseases, above all through cross-contamination. Proof of the efficacy of the system is furnished by a current clinical study conducted by the University Clinic of Münster in Westphalia. Given the huge market interest, Miele is now offering the system in further European countries.

The 'trophon EPR' system which is already successfully used by several German hospitals, will be available from 4Q14 in Austria, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands – including the full range of Miele services such as installation, commissioning and, where required, validation. Used at the point of care, 'trophon EPR' disinfects an ultrasound probe in only 7 minutes and is therefore twice as fast as the more traditional immersion disinfection method. The key to disinfection is a concentrated hydrogen peroxide aerosol which leaves behind only water and oxygen as daughter products. The process has been tested and approved for material compatibility by leading transducer manufacturers.

Multiple studies have proved the bactericidal, mycobactericidal, sporicidal, fungicidal and virucidal efficacy of this system. In the antenatal unit at the University Clinic of Münster, 'trophon EPR' was pitted against disinfection wipes, currently one of the more common methods used in many European countries for reprocessing ultrasound probes. The study revealed that the machine-based disinfection system produced significantly better results than disinfection wipes. Senior physician Dr Ralf Schmitz and his team presented their findings recently at the world congress of the International Society of Ultrasound in Gynaecology and Obstetrics (ISUOG) in Barcelona. Schmitz: 'trophon EPR allows us to offer our patients maximum protection against contracting infections during ultrasound scanning.'

Automatic reprocessing in an encapsulated system also complies with the reprocessing guidelines issued by the German Commission for Hospital Hygiene and Infection Control (KRINKO) affiliated to the Robert Koch Institute. Thanks to process validation, this approach is superior to all conventional and manual reprocessing methods. As the entire system can be validated according to relevant standards and guidelines such as the EN ISO 15883, it offers physicians and hospital managers clear benefits in terms of legal certainty.

And the workload on healthcare staff is reduced, too: Dosage concentration, dispensing temperature and exposure to the disinfectant is automatically monitored by embedded sensors in the 'trophon EPR' system. This dispenses with the need for staff to manually check parameters when using disinfection wipes or the immersion method, saving valuable working time. Machine process data can be safely and permanently protocolled using a printer and, in the medium term, via a digital interface.

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Company profile: Miele is the world's leading manufacturer of premium domestic appliances including cooking, baking and steam-cooking appliances, refrigeration products, coffee makers, dishwashers and laundry and floor care products. This line-up is augmented by dishwashers, washer-extractors and tumble dryers for commercial use as well as washer-disinfectors and sterilisers for use in medical and laboratory applications (Miele Professional). The Miele company, founded in 1899, has 8 production plants in Germany as well as one plant each in Austria, the Czech Republic, China and Romania. 2013/14 turnover amounted to approx. EUR 3.22 bn with sales outside Germany accounting for around 70%. Miele is represented with its own sales subsidiaries and via importers in almost 100 countries. The Miele company, now in the fourth generation of family ownership, employs a workforce of around 17,660, 10,411 thereof in Germany. The company headquarters are located in Gütersloh/Westphalia, Germany.

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Your contact

Anke Schläger
+ 49 5241 89-1949
anke.schlaeger@miele.com

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The ultrasound disinfection system 'trophon EPR' cleans a probe in only 7 minutes using a concentrated hydrogen peroxide aerosol for safe disinfection.

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