Warm reception for heated hospital mattress

HEATING technology firm Inditherm said winning approval from the health watchdog has sparked a flurry of interest in its heated hospital mattress.

The Rotherham-based company, listed on the Alternative Investment Market, endured a tough time during the recession as budgets were slashed.

But chief executive Nick Bettles said recently winning the backing of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) for the mattress should mark a turning point for the company.

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“We’ve already seen quite a few people contacting us to try it,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going to create overnight success for us – there’s resistance to change in the NHS. People are worried about making decisions to do something that’s different in the current environment.

“(But) the fact that NICE has backed it takes away the risk.”

Inditherm’s mattress helps reduce the risk of hypothermia during surgery and is already found in 50 hospitals across the UK. Inditherm says there are 3,800 operating theatres in the UK which could use its technology.

The watchdog said hospitals should consider using the mattress, adding it should save £9,800 per operating theatre annually, compared with the normal procedure of forced air warming. NICE added Inditherm’s mattress was likely to offer “practical advantages” over the alternative.

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Mr Bettles said NICE’s guidance should also help sales to Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

It hopes a clinical trial of its mattress in the United States will soon allow it to gain momentum there.

Mr Bettles said Inditherm is developing new products, such as a device to warm patients’ arms during chemotherapy, allowing easier administering of drugs.

Inditherm marks 10 years as a public company in December, during which time its technology has been used to heat surfaces ranging from football pitches to concrete.

“Until we start posting a profit, people are going to be sceptical,” said Mr Bettles. “My goal is to grow the business and get it profitable as fast as possible.”

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