More than half of intensive care patients suffer mental health problems shortly afterwards, a UK study has shown.

The psychological after-effects, which include depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), are thought to be partly due to certain drugs.

Sedatives and anti-hypertensive drugs are highlighted as risk factors by the study when used in the intensive care environment.

Of 157 patients at University College Hospital, London, 55% were found to be suffering from psychological illness three months after intensive care treatment.

Depression was the most common disorder (46%), followed by anxiety (44%) and PTSD (27%).

The risk of such problems increased with time spent in intensive care, as well as certain types of medication – including diazepam, a widely used sedative.

Psychologist Dr Dorothy Wade said that patients who regain consciousness in an intensive care unit, surrounded by machines, can be “in a terrified state”.

She commented on the study findings: “As well as looking at modifying our drug treatments, we may need to invest more time in the psychological care of a patient and find ways to prevent psychological suffering in the intensive care unit.”

Bob Winter, President of the Intensive Care Society, said the study had implications for specialists in the field: “The association of benzodiazepine use with subsequent psychological symptoms has important implications for sedative practice in intensive care.

“There are also implications for how we make our interventions tolerable in terms of how we can reduce the duration of sedation.”

NHS Wales has proposed focusing critical care services for several patient categories in South Wales into five specialist centres.

The proposals address concerns that critical care services are “spread too thinly” across the region, as well as the need to reduce costs.

Centres for obstetric, neonatal, in-patient paediatric and trauma care would be created to serve patients along the ‘M4 corridor’.

Specialist services for these vulnerable patients are currently divided between seven hospitals in South Wales.

Dr Bruce Ferguson, Medical Director of Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board, said that sometimes patients were being passed from hospital to hospital in search of a suitable doctor.

The current critical care facilities were “spread too thinly over too many hospital sites,” he argued.

Two of the specialist centres would be based at Cardiff and Swansea hospitals, with a third developed in Llanfrechfa near Cwmbran and a fourth based in Merthyr Tydfil, Bridgend or Llantrisant.

Treatment for major trauma, currently provided in Cardiff and Swansea, would be provided by a fifth specialist centre.

Following a 12-week public consultation with 300 clinicians, the changes could be introduced in spring 2013.

A new point-of-care ultrasound system could help to guide clinicians during acute care procedures such as regional anaesthesia, pain medication delivery and examination of critically ill patients.

The Sparq system (pictured) from Philips Healthcare, launched at this year’s MEDICA congress, is a mobile device designed to provide immediate, user-friendly ultrasound imaging in the operating room or at the patient bedside.

Key features of Sparq include:

• It is the first ultrasound system with a touchscreen for control, which assists infection control as well as providing a simple interface.

• It can be set to Simplicity Mode, a one-touch solution that presents only the functions needed most often.

• Its AutoSCAN feature adjusts the image while scanning, reducing the need for manual adjustment.

• Its Needle Visualisation feature provides rapid and accurate needle guidance.

Sparq offers a wide range of specific clinical applications for emergency medicine, critical care, regional anaesthesia and pain medication for specific regions of the body.

Further service capabilities can be added to the system, such as online clinical or technical support and proactive patient monitoring.

“The simplicity of its design and the intuitiveness of its user interface make Sparq a pleasure to use,” said Barry Nichols, Consultant in Anaesthesia and Pain Management at Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton.

“Sparq’s ergonomically efficient controls and high-resolution screen really benefit our clinicians’ day-to-day workflows. A compact and highly mobile device, it is also perfect to use in the operating theatre environment.”

Conrad Smits, Philips Healthcare’s General Manager, Ultrasound, commented: “A great deal of effort went into Sparq’s features and design to meet the specific needs of our point-of-care customers. Our goal is for Sparq to simplify the use of ultrasound for clinicians.”

Based in the Netherlands, Philips Healthcare is a market-leading supplier of solutions for cardiac care, acute care and home healthcare.

A medical device that helps to prevent wrong-route injections has won the Medical and Life Sciences Award at the first ever Made in Wales Awards in Cardiff.

The Hall Lock system (pictured) from Flexicare Medical, developed in partnership with clinicians at Cardiff University, is a series of connectors designed to reduce the risk of potentially lethal misconnections.

The system was developed in response to the increasing number of fatalities due to wrong-route injections of intravenous drugs and anaesthetics.

The cross-sectional shapes of the Hall Lock connectors are not compatible with each other or with a standard luer connector, presenting a mechanical obstacle to misconnection.

Hash Poormand, Flexicare’s Business Development Director, commented: “The Hall Lock System is a truly Welsh idea inspired by Cardiff University Hospital and designed by Flexicare in Wales.

“We are proud to be at the forefront of shaping the future of patient safety. This award recognises that innovation can be taken from concept to market with all the expertise required right in the heart of Wales.”

In a keynote speech at the Made in Wales Awards, Cheryl Gillan, Secretary of State for Wales, said: “The innovation recognised at the awards today is inspiring and I want to congratulate each and every winner: they are first-class examples of how Wales can contribute to new technologies and private sector growth.

“SMEs in Wales have a critical role to play in supporting the economy in Wales and I am clear that the UK Government is here to provide support to help companies succeed.”

Based in Mountain Ash, Flexicare Medical manufactures medical devices across a range of product areas including anaesthesia, critical care, breathing systems, suction, resuscitation, continence care and colostomy.

A new point-of-care analyser for blood gases and other solutes, launched worldwide, promises quicker and easier diagnosis in the critical care environment.

The RAPIDPoint 500 Blood Gas System (pictured) from Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics delivers reliable results in 60 seconds and allows rapid identification of the patient and operator.

The new system aims to meet the growing demand for POC blood tests that can be used rapidly and easily by a wide range of clinicians.

The RAPIDPoint 500 analyser has a cartridge that lasts up to 28 days, with a full complement of critical-care tests for blood gases, pH, electrolytes, glucose and lactate-1, as well as full CO-oximetry, from a single whole-blood sample.

Features to enhance ease of use include:

• fully automated calibration and quality control
• a self-contained Automatic Quality Control cartridge that operates without manual intervention
• an integrated bar code reader with a wide scanning area for patient and operator identification.

The new medical device can be integrated with the Siemens RAPIDComm Data Management System to enable centralised management of multiple Siemens blood and urine analysers in critical care monitoring.

“The RAPIDPoint 500 system is designed to satisfy the unique demands of testing at the point of care,” said Dr. David Stein, CEO, Point of Care Business Unit, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics.

“In addition to being easy to use, the analyser leverages proven and reliable cartridge-based technologies to deliver fast, accurate, laboratory-quality results, helping clinicians feel confident in making critical decisions.”

Home healthcare provider Amcare, part of the ConvaTec UK group, has acquired UK company Farnhurst Medical, a specialist in home delivery of stoma and continence care products.

Farnhurst Medical holds three licences in the south of England, and its home delivery business will be integrated with the Amcare network.

Current orders and delivery schedules will not be interrupted during the transition.

ConvaTec is a leading supplier of medical technologies for stoma care, wound therapeutics, continence care, critical care and infusion, spanning hospital and community health settings.

Amcare is a Dispensing Appliance Contractor that specialises in stoma and continence care, providing home delivery and care services. The company also supplies NHS organisations with a wide range of prescription medical devices and appliances to support community care.

Farnhurst Medical specialises in home delivery of stoma and continence care products, offering a comprehensive range of technologies from a number of manufacturers.