Why SHARPSFREE?

The SHARPS free^™  Syringe Management System SMS-100 is the only  “point of care” automated syringe disposal product available, that completely extracts the needle from the syringe body thus rendering the syringe “sharpsfree”.

The SHARPS free^™ Syringe Management System SMS-100 provides a safe, cost effective, reliable and affordable solution to help prevent the growing problem of accidental needlestick injuries.

Inadvertent Needlestick Injury

12 billion curative and preventative injections are estimated to occur in the world each year.  In the U.S. alone, approximately 800,000 accidental needlestick injuries occur to either the patient or one of the 8 million health care workers annually.  It is estimated that 50% of these accidental needlesticks occur during the process of disposal of the syringes.  It is also estimated that only 1/3 of needlestick injuries are actually reported.  Therefore, the true number of accidental needlestick injuries is likely to be close to 2.5 million per year. 

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the National Institute for Industrial and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), have issued various studies and recommendations for reducing the risk of accidental needlesticks. A study performed by the CDC/NIOSH concluded that nearly 50% of all needlestick injuries happen after the sharps product is used.

There is more to these accidents than a little extra, unanticipated pain.  Due to the severity of effect of the types of blood borne pathogens that could be involved, such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS, victims of accidental needlesticks may suffer mental trauma from the uncertainty of what they might face following an inadvertent needlestick.  The cost of exposure testing, subsequent medical treatment, disability payments and court awarded compensation, currently adds up to billions of dollars per year in the US alone.

Illegal/Inadvertent Secondary Syringe Use

Though less of a problem in most healthcare settings in the US, secondary use of the syringes is also a problem.  When the sharps device is disposed of as a whole unit, it remains available for inappropriate, sometimes illegal use.  A syringe/sharps disposal machine capable of not only extracting the needle from the syringe body, but also completely sealing the luer of the syringe body removes such an opportunity.

Large Waste Stream

According to the group Healthcare Without Harm, the typical hospital generates an average of over 100 lbs. of plastic (i.e. syringes and other sharps) waste in a single day.  By reorganizing the waste stream into component constituent parts (plastic and metal), it may be possible to handle this waste in a more productive manner.  Medtech also believes that by breaking down the sharps waste as described in this plan, the waste goes from totally “red bag” (contaminated) waste to at least partially “black bag” (uncontaminated waste). The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) in a letter dated March 12, 2004 has echoed this belief (click here to see letter.)