PDT Design Honored for Revolutionizing Surgical Waste Fluid Management

PRESS RELEASE: PDT and Cardinal Health have been honored in the 2010 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA®), sponsored by Fast Company and the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA®), for the ORwell™ Surgical Fluid Collection and Disposal System. The IDEA competition is a celebration of the year's most innovative and exciting product and product concept designs and one of the world's most prestigious and recognizable design competitions. ORwell was honored as a 2010 Finalist.

Cardinal Health had a critical need for a completely contained system that could operate safely in the fast-paced and highly regulated environment of the modern operating setting. Based on many hours in the operating room, PDT's team discovered the issues that nurses face when dealing with surgeries and redbag waste. The team consequently designed the ORwell system as a way to accommodate those pain points and thus safely manage and reduce the highly pathogenic fluid waste generated during surgeries. This allows healthcare professionals to keep the focus on the patients and safety, not on the equipment.

ORwell is the only closed surgical fluid collection and disposal system that employs a single-use disposable collection disc with a 20 liter liner and an automated wall mounted docking station to minimize patient contamination and staff exposure. Its innovative, closed system approach led to a design with a low center of gravity and one-third less weight than competitive systems, which provides for easy maneuverability through hallways, doorways and crowded operating rooms.