INDUSTRY INTERVIEW: Welch Allyn
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Eric Allyn
Vice President, Emergency Medical Services and Military
Welch Allyn
Q: What history does Welch Allyn share with the U.S. military?
A: As a leading manufacturer of innovative medical diagnostic and therapeutic devices, cardiac defibrillators and patient monitoring systems, we are one of the U.S. military’s most crucial partners. Welch Allyn products have been serving on the frontlines of the battlefield since our core diagnostic devices were first used by combat medics during WWII. Today, that franchise has been extended to the Propaq—a compact, rugged, versatile and reliable patient monitoring solution for transport and bedside applications, and the standard of care monitor for the military.
Our devices are used on Air Force fixed- and rotary-wing aircrafts, in field applications for the Army, and aboard ships and fleet hospitals. In addition, most NATO countries and 45 other military forces around the world also use Welch Allyn products. The foreign militaries look to the U.S. as a model. They try to duplicate what our military is using because they know it is state-of-the-art.
Q: How does Welch Allyn work with the U.S. military to design new products?
A: In 2006, we launched the Propaq LT, a smaller, lighter-weight version of the Propaq. Before bringing the device to market, we met with special operations forces in Fort Bragg, N.C., to collect input for product development. The military emphasized its need not only for a lightweight, portable device, but for the option to turn off lights and alarms in hostile situations. It requested extended battery life for use in remote locations and wanted something that would fit securely in the side pocket of a flight suit or in a backpack. It even needed to withstand 75 g of force.
All of these specifications were incorporated into the final design. The end result is the Propaq LT, which at two pounds and the size of a VHS tape, can be transported to the front line with ease.
This innovation allows wounded soldiers to be monitored more closely at the point of injury, instead of waiting for treatment on the first level back. It extends our reach closer to injured military personnel sooner and allows that much more of a chance to save a life.
Q: How is Welch Allyn positioned for future growth within the military industry?
A: While we have been providing ophthalmoscopes, otoscopes and laryngoscopes to the military for more than sixty years, the advent of the digital age has provided even more opportunities for growth and innovation. The success of our Propaq and Propaq LT monitors has paved the way for new technologies in medical applications for the military—most recently in wireless communications. When used in conjunction with Propaq series and Micropaq monitors, our Mobile Acuity LT provides medics with unprecedented capabilities to evaluate vital signs. Mobile Acuity LT is a laptop- based central monitoring station that offers a unique ability to establish remote treatment areas in military and emergency response environments. Each Mobile Acuity LT system can support 12 patients—and multiple systems can be deployed at the same time to cover up to 120 patients in the same combat zone.
With Mobile Acuity LT, central station monitoring can be deployed immediately in response to emergency situations in almost any location, increasing the level and timeliness of care for the soldiers. It moves care from the surgical suite to the battalion aid station by allowing emergency personnel on the battlefield to take care of a greater number of patients and respond to changes in their status before they are transported to a field treatment unit.
Q: What makes your products stand out in the military market?
A: We recently took the initiative to undertake the costly process of receiving the U.S. military’s Air Worthiness Release for the Propaq LT. This assures that our products will hold up under the intense environments in which they are often found. Devices must be able to withstand brutal circumstances including a drop from a helicopter, extreme heat and sub-zero temperatures, submersion in water, extreme vibration, hurricane force rain, electromagnetic interference and voltage that would instantly kill a human being.
While military specifications and those of the Department of Defense are far more stringent than a civilian hospital or physician’s office would require, the military requires all products to be COPs, which have specific applications for the military. This benefits all our customers because each of our products—whether headed to combat zones in Iraq or the health care clinic down the street—have the same durability, accuracy and ease-of-use.
Every Welch Allyn product is designed to help save lives on the frontlines of care. It is a tremendous honor to provide products to our soldiers on the frontlines of the battlefield who risk their lives every day to keep our country free. ♦