Christie Medical Holdings, Inc., & B. Braun Medical Announce Collaboration Aimed at Improving Peripheral IV Access Success

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (April 27, 2017) — Christie^® Medical Holdings, Inc., with its market-leading vein finder technology, VeinViewer^® system, today announced an alliance with B. Braun Medical Inc., a leader in infusion therapy and pain management.

Intravenous (IV) therapy plays a central role in patient care with as many as 90 percent of hospital patients receiving a peripheral IV catheter as part of their treatment plan. Many hospitals are adopting technology to improve the placement, safety, and duration for peripheral IV access. The combination of VeinViewer by Christie and B. Braun Medical’s line of IV products – such as the Introcan Safety^® IV catheter, STEADYCare^™ extension set with Wedge^™ catheter stabilizer – aims to provide an innovative solution to enhance peripheral IV catheter access success.

“Aligning the VeinViewer technology with one of the top companies in the United States’ peripheral IV catheter market provides our customers with a seamless solution for improving peripheral IV access,” said George Pinho, president of Christie Medical Holdings. “B. Braun’s extensive coverage across the U.S. hospital market and excellent reputation will enable us to work together to serve more customers with VeinViewer and the Introcan Safety IV Catheter. More importantly, health care providers and patients will be the primary beneficiaries of this strategic alliance.”

VeinViewer reduces the time needed for IV insertion and improves first stick success when starting an IV catheter, ultimately improving the patient experience. VeinViewer allows nurses to clearly see peripheral veins as a real-time, high-definition image directly on the surface of the patient’s skin. With VeinViewer technology, hospitals recognize the benefit of increased success in obtaining peripheral IV access, reduced use of central lines and increased cost savings.

Braun’s Introcan Safety IV catheter complements the VeinViewer system, because it offers passive safety through an innovative solution that addresses accidental needlestick injury.

Additionally, B. Braun’s STEADYCare extension set with Wedge catheter stabilizer is designed to minimize catheter movement in the vessel, support the catheter insertion angle, and reduce the patient connector’s skin contact, helping to reduce catheter-related complications.

“These technologies are intended to work together to improve placement, insertion, duration and safety associated with peripheral IV catheter therapy,” said Tom Sutton, B. Braun Medical’s Vice President of Marketing for IV Systems, Vascular Access and Pharmacy Admixture Products. “The VeinViewer technology is an excellent addition to our infusion therapy product line, because it addresses the first critical step in peripheral IV therapy success by helping the clinician select the best vein for placing an IV catheter. Our hospital customers are seeking solutions to improve the patient experience associated with peripheral IV access. This collaboration helps us achieve that.”

As part of the alliance, B. Braun and Christie will focus on bringing VeinViewer to all hospitals in the United States. B. Braun will be the exclusive distributor of VeinViewer in the United States. Christie will continue to sell VeinViewer to Veterans Affairs hospitals, outpatient facilities, vein clinics, and educational centers, such as nursing schools. Christie also will continue to manage its international distribution partners.

All VeinViewer customers — regardless of where they buy their VeinViewer — will continue to receive service through Christie. Additionally, Christie will continue offering educational programs as described in the Christie Assure Program^™, including Christie University, tele-training and Assure Clinical Educators.

*VeinViewer is a registered trademark of Christie Medical Holdings, Inc.

About B. Braun

Braun Medical Inc., a leader in infusion therapy and pain management, develops, manufactures, and markets innovative medical products and services to the health care industry. The company is committed to eliminating preventable treatment errors and enhancing patient, clinician and environmental safety. B. Braun Medical is part of the B. Braun Group of Companies in the U.S., which is headquartered in Bethlehem, PA., and includes B. Braun Interventional Systems, Aesculap^®and CAPS^®.

Globally, the B. Braun Group of Companies employs more than 58,000 employees in 64 countries. Guided by its Sharing Expertise^®philosophy, B. Braun continuously exchanges knowledge with customers, partners and clinicians to address the critical issues of improving care and lowering costs. To learn more about B. Braun Medical, visit www.BBraunUSA.com.

About Christie Medical Holdings, Inc.

Christie Medical Holdings, Inc. is a global company based in Memphis, Tenn., that discovers, develops and commercializes medical technologies. The company’s market-leading product, VeinViewer, is manufactured in the USA. It is a mobile vein imaging system that allows health care providers to clearly see accessible peripheral veins as a real time HD image, directly on the surface of the skin. Christie Medical Holdings, Inc. is owned by Christie Digital Systems Inc., a global visual technologies company and a subsidiary of Ushio Inc., Japan (JP:6925). For more information on Christie Digital Systems or Christie Medical Holdings, Inc., visit www.christiemed.com.