EZ-IO Enhancement

From Medgadget:

A press release for Vidacare Corporation states that the company has equipped its intraosseous vascular access system EZ-IO® with lithium-powered driver to replace the alkaline battery-powered drivers used previously.

The new EZ-IO Power Driver addresses the single biggest concern associated with using a battery-operated device in an emergency situation: the condition and reliability of the batteries. By using a lithium ion power supply, emergency personnel can complete 500 to 750 EZ-IO insertions--more than 10 times the insertions they could make using alkaline batteries. Additional attributes of the lithium battery upgrade include an increased shelf life to 15 years, a 10 percent increase in torque over alkaline batteries, decreased battery weight and elimination of the linear decline in battery performance associated with alkaline batteries. Vidacare anticipates that the user should not have to change the lithium batteries over the life of the product, thereby making it a hassle-free battery-powered device.