Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry Magazine | MDDI Article Index

Originally published December 1995

Medical device industry winners of the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP; Herndon, VA) 1996 AmeriStar PackagingCompetition were announced at an awards ceremony held in Anaheim, California, last October, in conjunction with theWestpack 95 conference and exhibition.

The annual competition honors entries in 11 categories, including medical device packaging. Winners are selected by a panel ofpackaging industry experts and academics.

In the device category, the competition's gold star for 1995 was awarded to Nalge Co. (Rochester, NY) for its micropackaging vials. The vials are used for the packaging and shipment of small-volume diagnostic and molecular biology reagents.According to the company, the vials represent an improvement over previous models because they do not use O-rings that areprone to leaking or falling out, permitting the introduction of contaminants.

The second-place silver star was awarded to Boston Scientific Corp. (Watertown, MA) for its use of phosphorescent labelingon an esophageal catheter package. The labels are incorporated in the device package as well as on the shaft of the catheterand are intended to facilitate gastroenterological work in a room darkened during dilatation of an esophageal stricture.According to Robert Thompson, senior packaging engineer at Boston Scientific, gastroenterologists must often work in thedark in order to accurately view images on a video screen. "Phosphorescent labeling can eliminate a source of difficulty causedwhen the physician's eyes are exposed to light during complicated procedures," he says.

The bronze star was awarded to Sealed Air Corp. (Sycamore, IL) for its Korrvu suspension package for a cardiac monitormanufactured by Cardiac Evaluation Center, Inc. (CEC; Milwaukee). The package protects the product from shock,vibration, and impact by enclosing it between two close-fitting layers of plastic film suspended in the air space of thecorrugated shipping container. The suspension design of the package also reduces the amount of packaging material requiredfor the device.

For further information about the Ameristar Packaging Competition, contact Kathleen Deeney, IoPP membership servicesmanager, at 703/318-8970.

--Steven Halasey

(This article originally appeared in the December 1995 issue of Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry. © 1995 CanonCommunications, Inc. All rights reserved.)