A-CLAMP

Non-Invasive – Safe – Strong – Lightweight

Trusted by leading dialysis and blood collection centers, Dravon Medical True Blue A-Clamps provide safe, reliable and efficient occluding of flexible medical tubing. Their unique design is lightweight and sturdy, and places a strong emphasis on ergonomics allowing comfortable use in diverse applications. The most important features and benefits of Dravon’s A-Clamps are:

Sturdy and Reliable – designed and tested to ensure clamps completely block fluid flow and do not slip or break during application
Red and yellow clamps available (in addition to True Blue) to differentiate between shifts, fluids, and procedures
Capable of being sterilized by EtO and steam autoclave for use in kits or re-use

Dravon Medical “True Blue” A-Clamps are constructed from reinforced nylon and an aluminum rivet to ensure adequate strength and quality for tube occluding applications. The materials are lightweight in addition to being sturdy, allowing quick, reliable, and comfortable occlusion of medical tubing. The A-Clamp has smooth jaws designed to occlude medical tubing without damaging it. In addition, the clamp is ergonomically designed to make it quick and comfortable to use. These features and benefits make it a great choice for kidney dialysis centers, blood banks, and other specialized applications.

What is the A-Clamp?

The Dravon Medical A-Clamp is designed to occlude 1 mm to 8 mm flexible medical tubing. Sometimes referred to as forceps, hemostat or catheter clamp, the A-Clamp is a medical device that serves a critical need in the healthcare setting. It has been specifically designed to facilitate safe, reliable, and efficient occlusion of fluid/IV tubing.

The lightweight plastic construction and smooth jaws are designed to ensure that the A-Clamp does not crush or damage medical tubing while effectively blocking fluid flow. The interlocking ratchet teeth on the clamp maintain a positive hold on the tubing over time. The aluminum rivet is yet another pillar of the clamp’s sturdy design, and the rivet allows visualization of the clamp under x-ray for safety. In addition, the lightweight plastic material and the ergonomically designed finger holes accommodate gloved hands and make the clamp comfortable to use. The A-Clamp can be cleaned, sterilized, and used up to five times.

Another benefit of the A-Clamps is that they sell for only a fraction of the cost of metal clamps. Dravon Medical A-Clamps are high quality and low cost, and ideally suited for tube occluding applications. Make sure to look for the Dravon Medical name on the handle to be sure you are using the clamps trusted by major medical facilities.

Applications

The A-Clamp’s primary application in the medical setting is safe and reliable occlusion of flexible medical tubing. The most common settings for the use of A-Clamps is in kidney dialysis centers and in blood banks. Since the A-Clamps can be cleaned, disinfected and sterilized (EtO and steam autoclave), they can be utilized in customized kits provided the clamps are validated for use in the specific configuration and application.

Benefits/Advantages

The “True Blue” A-Clamp is constructed from a glass-filled nylon plastic connected by an aluminum rivet. These materials are strong yet lightweight, allowing the clamp to reliably maintain occlusion of 1 mm to 8 mm diameter flexible medical tubing. The aluminum rivet allows the clamp to be visualized under x-ray and located if necessary. The smooth yet strong plastic body combined with the ergonomic finger holes are designed to make the clamp comfortable and easy to apply in the user’s hand.

Dravon Medical’s A-Clamp is available in three different colors and different product options. The colors include the True Blue A-Clamp, and red and yellow color options. This allows healthcare facilities to effortlessly differentiate fluids, IV medications, procedures, and even shifts just by the color of the clamp. In addition, Dravon packages A-Clamps in several different configurations to meet your unique needs and preferences. A-Clamps are available in cases of 100, a starter pack containing 25 clamps, bulk-packed in quantities of 500 clamps and more, and of course available separately in the three different colors.

The A-Clamps may be cleaned, disinfected, and sterilized after each utilization and then safely reused multiple times. When it comes to medical procedures, there is always a risk of infection and contamination for both the patients and healthcare staff. There are substantial advantages of sterilizing and reusing medical devices, including potential reductions in healthcare costs and reduced waste. The ability of the clamps to be cleaned and sterilized also provides potential for them to be used in custom kits with proper validation documentation.

Technical Information

A-Clamps can be cleaned using warm water and detergent, such as Alcanox mixed in a sonic cleaner. In addition, cold disinfectant solutions, such as Cidex®, can be used to disinfect A-Clamps during a soak. Some solutions, such as bleach, can cause discoloration of the plastic and erosion of the metal rivet. Whenever possible, follow medical device cleaning protocols in your facility as well as warning labels on cleaning solutions to prevent or minimize damage during the process. After a cleaning or disinfecting procedure, the A-Clamp may be sterilized. Dravon Medical maintains test data related to steam autoclave and EtO sterilization on file.

A-Clamps have been tested to ensure they can be cleaned, sterilized, and used up to five times. A-Clamps will have maximum strength when used for the first time. With any plastic device, repeated exposure to heat and chemicals during the cleaning, disinfecting and/or sterilization procedure will cause a loss of clamp strength. Make sure to check the clamp carefully for damage and wear after each use and clean/sterilization cycle.

Dravon warrants that each clamp is free from defects in material and workmanship. The A-Clamp should only be used to occlude flexible tubing such as PVC, EVA, or silicone rubber tubing at operating temperatures above freezing. Please refer to the Directions for Use provided in each case of A-Clamps for additional information. Dravon does not warrant reused clamps.