RSFH Bariatric Services Earns Center of Excellence Accreditation

Charleston, SC (PRWEB) January 24, 2012

Roper St. Francis Healthcare(RSFH) announced today that the system?s Bariatric and Metabolic Services program has been named an ASMBS Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence? by the American Society for Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery(ASMBS). The accreditation is a known quality indicator and serves as the golden seal of approval in healthcare for bariatric medicine.

ASMBS Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence? accreditation is a way of evaluating quality, patient safety and the actual delivery of patient care in bariatric (surgical weight loss) services.

To earn a COE designation, the RSFH program and C. Kenneth Mitchell, Jr., MD, medical director, Bariatric and Metabolic Services and a RSFH Physician Partner, underwent rigorous review followed by a site visit. All aspects of the program's surgical processes were closely examined and data on health outcomes was collected.

?It is very encouraging to be recognized for meeting the stringent COE accreditation guidelines,? said Mitchell. ?As with any treatment plan, long-term follow up is essential to positive outcomes.?

Obesity is a progressive disease that often leads to other medical issues, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and sleep apnea. Bariatric surgery can improve a patient?s quality of life and help restore energy levels.

Roper St. Francis Healthcare?s Bariatric and Metabolic Services focuses on a patient?s long-term success and support. Offerings include gastric bypass, gastric banding and gastric sleeve resection, as well as a lifetime time of support post surgery.

Bariatric surgery information sessions are held Thursdays in the Mall Classrooms at Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital located at 2095 Henry Tecklenburg Drive. To register, or for more information, please call (843) 402-CARE.

About Roper St. Francis Healthcare

Serving South Carolina?s Lowcountry for almost 200 years, Roper St. Francis Healthcare is the area?s only non-profit health system and is dedicated to the mission of ?Healing All People with Compassion, Faith and Excellence.? With more than 100 facilities across 7 counties, the system?s hospitals include Roper Hospital, Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital and Roper St. Francis Mount Pleasant Hospital. The system employs a network of more than 200 doctors and has a medical staff of more than 800 physicians covering all specialties. Roper St. Francis Healthcare?s more than 5,300 employees pride themselves on being nationally-recognized through Joint Commission accreditations and awards including hundreds earned for patient, physician and employee satisfaction. http://www.rsfh.com.

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Heart Valve Testing Specialists, ViVitro Labs, Granted Accreditation ISO/IEC 17025:2005 by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA)

Victoria, B.C. (PRWEB) January 25, 2012

ViVitro Labs Inc., a global provider of cardiovascular device testing equipment and laboratory services, announces that its Laboratory Services headquartered in Victoria, B.C. has been accredited by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) to perform Laboratory testing for ISO 5840 Cardiovascular Implants - Cardiac Valve Prostheses Annex L and M in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025:2005, the most recognized standard for competence of testing in the industry.

The accreditation confirms ViVitro Labs' commitment to meeting the highest quality standards and regulatory requirements to perform testing on heart valves to the ISO 5840 standard. The increasing challenges and demands on medical device manufacturers to evaluate heart valves for haemolytic and thrombogenic potential by assessment of flow fields, to determine hydrodynamic performance and assess durability have never been so achievable.

Medical devices are subject to the some of the highest governmental regulations. ?By recognizing a single quality benchmark, ISO 17025 provides a highly recognized global standard for laboratory testing compliance,? states David Mester, General Manager of ViVitro Labs, ?We welcomed the opportunity to prove our compliance, believing that should be a basic tenet for all in our industry, and we?re pleased that A2LA has recognized our quality system.?

ViVitro Labs has taken the first step to harmonizing ISO standards by applying a more rigorous and uniformed standard for competence of testing for the assessment of heart valve replacements including transcatheter heart valves governed by the ISO 5840 standard.

About ViVitro Labs

ViVitro Labs Inc. offers industry leading prosthetic heart valve test equipment and laboratory testing, consulting and engineering services. For over 25 years, ViVitro has been known as a trusted source of quality devices and services that empower our clients to carry out world-leading research, develop innovative products, and demonstrate regulatory compliance.

Distribution in China is available.

For more information, please contact ViVitro Labs:

info(at)vivitrolabs(dot)com

1-250-388-3531

http://www.vivtrolabs.com

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