Joey™ Umbilical Safety System

The San Antonio Express-News reports about a local biotech company with “a stable of products that defies categorization.” One great product of Vital Needs International is Joey™ Umbilical Safety System. Grateful Dead aficionados, who clearly designed the product, obviously give lots of positive vibes to the entire company:

… much of the company’s attention is in getting its umbilical cord cutter and clamp, known as The Joey, into the hands of health care workers delivering babies in impoverished countries.

The colorful plastic-and-metal device in the shape of smiling koala will be introduced in the small African country of Malawi in June. Ten thousand FDA-approved Joeys are expected to prevent the blood spray of umbilical cord blood that can transmit HIV/AIDS.

The manufacturer describes this great product:

Designed with an emphasis on ease of use and safety, the Joey™ Umbilical Safety System clamps and cuts the umbilical cord in one motion while shielding the delivery team from blood spray. The cutting chamber has been designed to keep a piece of the umbilical cord, from which the lab can directly extract blood for testing and from which stem cells can be saved. In summary, the Joey™ Umbilical Safety System is quicker, safer and more economical than the current traditional method. In addition, the baby is left with the playful koala bear face on the baby’s belly button, which the mother can take home as a memento.

More at Vital Needs…