GVDI develops needlestick prevention device

Golden Valley Development, Inc. is pleased to announce the development of the PercuGuard needlestick prevention device, a tool currently unavailable in the medical and dental industries, exceeding 1 billion potential annual applications worldwide.

PercuGuard was developed and patented by inventor and Golden Valley CEO Kevin Sorrels as protection for health care workers who are required to use needles to inject patients with medications.

Currently, there are 1.5 million reported needlesticks to health care workers in the United States annually, with an estimated 100% under reporting rate. Such needlesticks can transmit blood-borne diseases such as Hepatitis and HIV to the health care worker.

PercuGuard is an inexpensive plastic medical device to prevent such accidental injuries and disease transmissions. Designed to be worn over a latex glove, PercuGuard targets an unaddressed area where inadequate protection results in needlestick injuries. A wholly-new device, it is puncture resistant, elastic, and allows tactile sensitivity.

Developed primarily for dental workers, applications in related medical fields exist for health care workers requiring the use of “sharps,” in close proximity to the health care worker’s finger or thumb.

According to American Dental Association statistics, there are 150,000 practicing dentists in the U.S. and Canada, each performing approximately 4,000 procedures indicating some form of needlestick protection. This translates into approximately 600 Million dental procedures per year. OSHA currently requires the evaluation and implementation of safe, effective and cost effective needlestick prevention devices and modalities.

PercuGuard addresses three areas of risk: inadvertent needlesticks to health care workers, OSHA regulatory requirements and civil liability.