BOULDER, CO - Dec. 3, 2008 – Covidien, a leading global provider of healthcare products, today announced that its Hi-Lo Evac™ endotracheal tube was named part of Premier Healthcare Alliance’s QUEST Comparative Innovation Program (CIP).  The Hi-Lo Evac tube, which facilitates continuous aspiration of subglottic secretions (CASS) to reduce ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), was selected based on clinical evidence and potential impact on the five QUEST measurement areas – mortality, cost of care, evidence-based care, patient experience and harm avoidance.

The Premier Healthcare Alliance has launched the QUEST CIP to evaluate effectiveness of novel healthcare products and technologies through the QUEST: High Performing Hospitals Collaborative. The purpose of the CIP is to accelerate access to technologies proven to be safe and effective so hospitals can treat patients with them as soon as possible.  

“The QUEST initiative stresses optimal performance in the areas of quality and cost of care, as well as patient satisfaction,” said Mike Alkire, president of Premier Purchasing Partners.  “The Hi-Lo Evac tube aligns well with these goals, having been shown repeatedly to reduce the incidence of VAP and also ICU length of stay and duration of mechanical ventilation. These are issues of importance to our hospital members and their patients.”

VAP is associated with up to a 27 percent attributable mortality rate and a more than $40,000 average increase in hospital cost per incidence. ^1,2   The Hi-Lo Evac tube has been shown in randomized clinical studies to reduce VAP by up to 75 percent. In fact, a recently published study by Emilio Bouza, M.D., Ph.D., of the Gregorio Marañón University General Hospital in Madrid, Spain, also found that CASS significantly reduces antibiotic usage and reduces ICU length of stay and duration of mechanical ventilation in patients intubated for more than 48 hours.   Based on clinical evidence, CASS was included in the recent prevention compendium from the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).

“Today’s healthcare environment demands continual improvements in patient safety and cost effectiveness,” said Dr. Roger Mecca, vice president of medical affairs, Covidien Respiratory and Monitoring Solutions.  “We applaud Premier and the QUEST: High Performing Hospitals Collaborative for emphasizing that accelerating access to new technologies can improve patient care.  The Hi-Lo Evac tube has been shown to further reduce VAP rates even after other VAP-reduction practices are already in place.  We believe it will prove to be a valuable part of the Quest CIP program.”

More information about VAP reduction, CASS and the Hi-Lo Evac tube can be found at http://media.zapvap.com.

About Covidien
Covidien is a leading global healthcare products company that creates innovative medical solutions for better patient outcomes and delivers value through clinical leadership and excellence.  Covidien manufactures, distributes and services a diverse range of industry-leading product lines in four segments: Medical Devices, Imaging Solutions, Pharmaceutical Products and Medical Supplies.  With 2008 revenue of nearly $10 billion, Covidien has more than 41,000 employees worldwide in 59 countries, and its products are sold in over 140 countries.  Please visit www.covidien.com to learn more about our business.

Contacts:
Terri Black Director, Global Marketing Communications		David Young Manager Media Relations
(303) 305-2674		(508) 261-6330
Terri.Black@covidien.com		David.Young@covidien.com
Coleman Lannum CFA		Bruce Farmer
Vice President Investor Relations		Vice President Public Relations
(508) 452-4343		(508) 452-4372
Cole.Lannum@covidien.com		Bruce.Farmer@covidien.com

1. Fagon JY, Chastre J, et al. Nosocomial Pneumonia in Ventilated Patients: A Cohort Study Evaluating Attributable Mortality and Hospital Stay. The American Journal of Medicine. 1993;94:281-288.

2. Rello J, Ollendorf DA, et al. Epidemiology and Outcomes of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in a Large US Database. Chest. 2002;122:2115-2121.