Helping the heart may not be the first thing people think about when it comes to 3M, but in recognition of February as American Heart Month, we’re sharing some of the surprising ways 3M science and education support heart health across the care continuum.
Can you hear me now?
Tunable technology, an innovation developed by 3M in the mid-1980s, makes it possible to hear both high and low frequency sounds without moving the placement of a stethoscope chestpiece.1,2 It’s just one innovation found in 3M™ Littmann® Stethoscopes.
Since 1987, 3M has helped warm more than 300 million3 patients worldwide with the 3M™ Bair Hugger™ Normothermia System. Keeping a patient’s core body temperature within the normothermic temperature zone (36.0° to 37.5°C4,5), by proactively monitoring and maintaining core body temperature from pre-op until discharge, helps prevent unintended hypothermia,6 which occurs in up to 20 percent of surgeries.7 Research shows that even mild hypothermia can lead to negative outcomes, including myocardial ischemia and cardiac disturbance.8,9 Prewarming surgical patients with 3M Bair Hugger convective warming blankets or gowns can help prevent unintended hypothermia and the negative outcomes associated with it.
Take oral health to heart
Dental caries and periodontal disease are the most prevalent oral diseases in the world impacting the quality of life of many,10 including those with heart disease. Several studies support a relationship between chronic periodontal disease – an inflammation of the gums and supporting structures of the teeth – and atherosclerotic vascular disease.11 While a causative effect has not been established, controlling gum inflammation is recommended for these patients,12 which can be achieved by establishing strong oral health routines.13,14 It’s why 3M is on a mission to empower communities to manage oral diseases throughout life with preventive care and education. Learn more in the recently published 3M e-book “Why Teeth Matter.”
Health at your fingertips
Although there isn’t a direct connection between heart health and hand hygiene, more than 80 percent of communicable diseases are transferred by touch.15 In a health care setting with vulnerable populations, hand hygiene is one way to stop the spread of infections.16 3M hand sanitizers are not only effective but also gentle enough to promote repeated and frequent use. 17,18
Addressing a patient safety concern
Reducing harm from clinical alarm systems is one of The Joint Commission’s top hospital patient safety goals this year – and for good reason. With 80-99 percent of all alarms being false or clinically insignificant,19 staff can become desensitized to the noise. To help address false alarms, 3M provides education on the role ECG traces and proper application of electrodes play in reducing the instance of false alarms.
Click here to learn more about the conditions and clinical challenges 3M Health Care helps address.
1. 3M data on file. EM-05-175227.
2. Comparison of the acoustic properties of six popular stethoscopes”, M. Abella, et al., J Acoustic Soc Am, Apr 1992, pp 2224-2228.
3. 3M data on file. EM-05-233213.
4. Hooper VD, Chard R, Clifford T, Fetzer S, Fossum S, Godden B, Martinez EA, Noble KA, O’Brien D, Odom-Forren J, Peterson C, Ross J, Wilson L. ASPAN’s Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline for the Promotion of Perioperative Normothermia: Second Edition. Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing, Vol 25, No 6 (December), 2010: pp 346-365.
5. Schroeck H, Lyden AK, Benedict WL, Ramachandran SK. Time Trends and Predictors of Abnormal Postoperative Body Temperature in Infants Transported to the Intensive Care Unit. Anesthesiology Research and Practice. 2016:7318137.
6. Kurz A, Sessler DI, Lenhardt R. Perioperative normothermia to reduce the incidence of surgical-wound infection and shorten hospitalization. NEJM. 1996 May 9; 334 (19): 1209-16.
7. Hart SR, Bordes B, Hart J, Corsino D, Harmon D. Unintended perioperative hypothermia. The Ochsner Journal. 2011;11(3):259–270.
8. Frank SM,Fleisher LA, Breslow MJ, et al. Perioperative maintenance of normothermia reduces the incidence of morbid cardiac events. A randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 1997; 277 (14): 1127-1134.
9. Scott AV, Stonemetz JL, Wasey JO, Johnson DJ, Rivers RJ, Koch CG, et al. (2015) Compliance with Surgical Care Improvement Project for Body Temperature Management (SCIP Inf-10) Is Associated with Improved Clinical Outcomes. Anesthesiology. 123: 116–125.
10. The Challenge of Oral Disease – A call for global action. The Oral Health Atlas. 2nd ed. Geneva: FDI World Dental Federation; 2015.
11. Lockhart PB, Bolger AF, Papapanou PN, et al. Periodontal disease and atherosclerotic vascular disease: does the evidence support an independent association?: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2012 May 22;125(20):2520-44.
12. Friedewald VE, Kornman KS, Beck JD, Genco R, Goldfine A, Libby P, Offenbacher S, Ridker PM, Van Dyke TE, Roberts WC. The American Journal of Cardiology and Journal of Periodontology Editors’ Consensus: periodontitis and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. J Periodontol. 2009; 80:1021–1032.
13. Chapple IL, Van der Weijden F, Doerfer C, et al. Primary prevention of periodontitis: managing gingivitis. J Clin Periodontol. 2015 Apr;42 Suppl 16:S71-6.
14. Jepsen S, Blanco J, Buchalla W, et al. Prevention and control of dental caries and periodontal diseases at individual and population level: consensus report of group 3 of joint EFP/ORCA workshop on the boundaries between caries and periodontal diseases. J Clin Periodontol. 2017 Mar;44 Suppl 18:S85-S93.
15. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CDC Quick Reference Guide for Public Information on Infection Control. http://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/unitedchurchofchrist/legacy_url/3009/SwineFluInformation.pdf?1418426046.
16. Allegranzi, D. Pittet Role of hand hygiene in healthcare-associated infection prevention. Journal of Hospital Infection (2009) 73, 305e315.
17. 3M data on file. EM-05-000486.
18. EL Larson, et al, Assessment of two hand hygiene regimens for intensive care unit personnel, Crit Care Med 2001 Vol 29 No 5 p.944-951.
19. Cvach MM, Biggs M, Rothwell KJ, Charles-Hudson C. (2013) Daily electrode change and effect on cardiac monitor alarms: an evidence-based practice approach. Journal of Nursing Care Quality. Jul 1;28(3):265-71.