The New LoFric® Primo™. No Compromises. - Astra Tech

The New LoFric ® Primo . No Compromises.

Extra large loop for opening orhanging up the catheter package.Adhesive area on back forhanging up the package.Sterile water. A light press on thewater-pocket makes the water rundown and activate the catheter’ssurface layer.Easy ”peel-open” packaging.Insertion guide. You have a firmgrip without needing to touch thecatheter with your fingers.LoFric ® catheter withUrotonic Surface Technology.Gives the lowest friction duringinsertion and withdrawal.Extra large loop for opening orhanging up the catheter package.Since the water is separate, thepackaging is small and foldable.It fits easily in your trouser pocket.

Forget everything you thought you knew about catheters.LoFric Primo. The next generation of catheters.Actually, it’s quite simple. The reason we developed LoFric Primo is that we wanted tomake catheterisation simpler and more convenient, while at the same time safeguardingthe users’ safety and long-term health. We have been producing safe catheters for over20 years. With the new LoFric Primo, we have succeeded in combining the world’s mostwell-documented* catheter with a packaging that makes life easier for everyone whouses catheters.Convenience or safety – now you don’t need to choose.Previously, patients were more or less forced to choose between using a catheter thatwas safe or a catheter that was convenient. Thanks to us, you no longer need to makethat choice since LoFric Primo is both safe and convenient.Water in the package has many advantages.As you already know, all hydrophilic catheters must be soaked before use. Alwayscarrying water with you is not as easy as you might think. With LoFric Primo, this is nolonger a problem. We integrated the water in the packaging, so it is ready to use whenyou are. This also makes the handling significantly easier. You only need to squeeze thewater-pocket to make the water run down and soak the catheter. After that, just openthe packaging and insert the catheter. You do not need to worry about carrying waterwith you, so now you can carry out the catheterisation in more places than before.Packaging with smart functions.However, the water is not the only advantage of LoFric Primo. Even if the packaginglooks simple, it hides a vast number of smart functions. It is small, foldable and discreet.You can open it in several different ways, depending on the strength of your fingers andthe circumstances you are in.Another smart detail is that the packaging is more hygienic and provides you with afirm grip. Partly because it is incredibly easy to open and partly because the packaginghas a built-in insertion guide, which means that you do not need to touch the catheter.* Documentation available upon request as full-text, abstract or as reference list.3

Designed to be simple to use.Whenever and wherever.The majority of people that use a catheter feel that the sense of dependence and lack offreedom are the worst aspects. Being worried about not finding a place where you canwash your hands or get hold of water to soak the catheter can mean that the user prefersto stay at home rather than go into town or on an outing.These are no longer problems when you use LoFric Primo. We have built both waterand hygiene into the packaging. Not having to touch the catheter with your fingersmeans that the need for hygiene in the surrounding environment is not as high. And forthe users, this knowledge can make a miraculous difference to their sense of freedom.More hygienic. Better grip.When using a catheter, hygiene is more important than many people think. Not touchingthe catheter surface is a great advantage. However, it is difficult to insert a catheterwithout touching it.With the new LoFric Primo, hygiene is improved in two ways. First, the package isvery easy to open and requires very little strength. You only need to ”peel” apart thepackaging to open it – without touching the actual catheter. Second, the packaging hasa built-in insertion guide, which provides you with a firm grip during insertion. Besidesbeing more convenient and simple to handle, it also significantly decreases the risk ofcontamination.Fold the catheter together and put it in your pocket.With LoFric Primo the water is kept separate. The advantage of this design is that thecatheter packaging remains soft, pliable and foldable. It is so flexible that it fits in yourpocket or a small bag.For the user this is tremendously important. The whole process of handling and usingcatheters can be more discreet. To put it simply – smaller and more easily manageablecatheters make a great improvement in their quality of life.More than ten ways to open it.Why did we make a catheter that can be opened in several different ways? Wouldn’t itbe easier with just one? When we developed LoFric Primo, we paid special attention tothe opening procedure. The problem is that different people have very different needs andcan be in different circumstances when they open a catheter. Some have limited mobilityin their left hand, others in the right, or both. Some are in wheelchairs, while others haveno mobility limitations at all. By providing LoFric Primo with several alternatives foropening, there is always at least one way that suits each person.5

By far the world’s most well-documented catheter.What is the value of documenting catheters?Since catheterisation is often a lifelong therapy we must make sure that the catheters reallyare suitable for lifelong therapy. This is also the background to why Astra Tech duringthe past 20 years has invested large resources in documentation and studies.What does this mean for the user?Keeping healthy and avoiding infections is extremely important. For people who use acatheter 3-5 times a day, it can mean the difference between falling ill or staying healthy.The greater the friction between the catheter and the urinary tract, the greater the riskthat it will cause injury and bleeding. Several studies show that injuries usually becomevisible only after some years' catheter use. A complicating factor is that many users lack asense of feeling and therefore cannot rely on pain as a warning system. For the user, ourdocumentation is a security and a guarantee that the catheter will not end up injuring them.Are there any negative effects?One of the larger studies that documented the safety of long-term use of LoFric is Bakkeet. al. (1997). In this study, 170 patients were followed. The follow-up (after an averageof 8.8 years) showed that none of these patients showed any tendencies to complicationsof the urethra, or epididymitis.This can be compared to studies of the use of normal catheters in combination withgel. In Perrouin-Verbe et al (1995), it was shown that 19% of the men studied suffered fromstrictures of the urethra and 28.5% had developed epididymitis.Over 20 years experience of LoFric ® .LoFric has been on the market for over 20 years and is by far the market’s best-documentedcatheter. Studies have shown how well LoFric works in long-term use. Today, LoFric*is the only hydrophilic catheter that can display documented reduced long-term risk ofcomplications.* Documentation available upon request as full-text, abstract or as reference list.6

Our greatest secret: Urotonic Surface Technology.The world’s only catheter with Urotonic Surface Technology.LoFric is the only catheter in the world with Urotonic Surface Technology – a patentedsurface layer technology that makes catheterisation more comfortable for the user. Thesecret behind Urotonic Surface Technology is a chemical process that makes the surfacelayer isotonic to urine. In simple terms, this means that the saline content of the catheter’ssurface is the same as in the urine. The result is that the water in the hydrophilic layerdoes not disappear during catheterisation, which is otherwise the case, as the saline contentin the environment is higher.The best part of LoFric is taking it out.The saline level in urine is higher than in the body. If you do not compensate for this, thecatheter tends to cause high friction and become difficult to withdraw. This is both painfuland can lead to serious injuries.A hydrophilic surface means that the catheter has low friction when it is inserted.Thanks to the LoFric surface layer being equipped with Urotonic Surface Technology, thisfriction is kept low even when the catheter is withdrawn.How does it work?The surface layer of a LoFric catheter is made of PVP with an NaCl additive (table salt).When the hydrophilic surface layer comes into contact with water, a mild and water-richlayer is formed. This water layer reduces the friction in the urethra by 90–95%, comparedto normal catheters with gel.A hydrophilic catheter with Urotonic Surface Technology does not lead to long-termdamage. The reason for this is that the concentration of salt and other soluble substances isthe same as in the surroundings. In the case of the human urethra, urine, with a concentrationof 600-1200 mOsm/kg.If this concentration is too low (hypotonic), water molecules are drawn out of thesurface layer. The hydrophilic surface then dries out, which leads to increased frictionand the risk of injuries. Too high a concentration (hypertonic), on the other hand, meansthat the surface layer draws in water, which can irritate the lining of the urethra. SinceLoFric is equipped with Urotonic Surface Technology, it is at present the world’s onlyhydrophilic catheter that is isotonic to urine.Urotonic Surface Technology.Insertion and withdrawal with low frictionand without pain. The hydrophilic andisotonic surface layer (PVP and NaCl),builds a watery layer when the catheteris soaked. The salt makes the catheterisotonic to urine and prevents the waterlayer from disappearing after insertion.9

No Compromises.The new LoFric Primo opens new possibilities.What we mean by ”No Compromises” is that you are no longer forced to choose betweena catheter that is convenient to use and one that is safe to use. We have not made anycompromises between safety and convenience. For the first time, you have a choice ofcatheter where you do not need to choose between safety and convenience.If there is anything we are proud of, it is that LoFric Primo has solved the conflictbetween long-term safety and short-term convenience. And the people who win the mostfrom this are, of course, the users.Speed and simplicity, obviously.We think it should be both simple and safe to use a catheter. At Astra Tech, we willcontinue to purposefully work towards finding even better, quicker and simpler solutions.We will continue in our research. We will continue to develop new methods, packagingand products that will improve the user’s quality of life. LoFric Primo is proof of ourefforts and it is certainly not the last.10

Knowledge, education and support.Do you need product information or therapeutic competence? We have comprehensiveknowledge in all the areas associated with catheterisation, dilatation and instillation andare happy to act as a resource, or to provide education.When it comes to education and information, we can offer a broad program – both forHealth Care personnel and for users. You may use our training staff, or receive trainingand information on video, CD and in print. Apart from that, we can supply informationon products, clinical studies, user guides, starter packs and much more. Contact us forall your needs.77730-GBX-0502Astra Tech AB, P.O. Box 14, SE-431 21 Mölndal, Sweden. Phone +46 31 776 30 00. Fax +46 31 776 30 10. www.lofric.com