Medical device manufacturer, Bedfont Scientific Ltd., received its ISO13485:2016 CMDCAS certificate

Established in 1976, Bedfont® Scientific Limited is a second generation family company that has specialised in the design and manufacture of exhaled breath and gas monitoring instruments for medical, scientific and industrial markets globally, for over 40 years. Bedfont is thrilled to announce that it has just received the ISO13485:2016 CMDCAS certificate which is a re-certificate on the new standard, 2016.

The multi export award winning British company is revered as a pioneer in the breath analysis market with their products now available in over 76 countries. Without the ISO13485 CMDCAS certificate, it is impossible to enter the Canadian market and so this recertification enables Bedfont to continue exporting to Canada, with hopes to grow sales in this area by over 20% in the next 5 years.

Louise Bateman, QA & RA manager, explains, “the ISO13485:2016 is the best internationally accepted accreditation to show compliance to regulators for the medical device industry. It is an extremely important recognition to our company’s commitment to produce the highest quality standard of medical device to sell to our customers.”

Jason Smith, Managing Director, adds, “For only a small company of 41 employees, to have exports account for roughly 80% of our annual turnover is a great achievement. We have a great RA team, led by Louise, who makes sure that, while we continue to innovate our products, they always remain at the highest standard for the medical device industry. Being such a niche manufacturer, and new MDDs, this no easy feat, but with dedication and support from all in the Bedfont family, I am proud that we have achieved the ISO13485:2016 CMDCAS certificate, making us eligible for the export awards we have won.”

Compiled by the European Business Awards, Bedfont Scientific Limited has been named as one of Europe’s best in the ‘Ones to Watch’ list.

The European Business Awards, sponsored by RSM, is a cross-industry and cross-border business competition. This year, the European Business Awards has compiled the ‘Ones to Watch’ list, to highlight companies who have shown exceptional achievement in one of the 12 categories but also reflect the programme’s core values of innovation, success and ethics. Bedfont, a second-generation family business that specialises in the design and manufacture of breath analysis medical devices, is proud to announce that it has been named on this list as one of Europe’s best.

First held in 2007, the European Business Awards aims to recognise and reward companies that help tackle the major issues faced by Europe and the world; unemployment, climate and environmental challenges, conflict and widespread poverty.

Jason Smith, Managing Director at Bedfont, says, “We are only a small company with such a niche concept as breath analysis, so we are humbled to have been including on the ‘Ones to Watch’ list. As a company, we endeavour to innovate and improve healthcare and are also determined to give back to the local community and are very conscious of our carbon footprint. This would not be possible without our employees, the Bedfont family. It is thanks to their hard work and dedication that we are eligible to be included on such a prestigious list.”

Adrian Tripp, CEO of the European Business Awards, commented “The talent, dedication and innovation at the heart of these companies jobs and opportunity, and is what drives their country’s prosperity. The ‘Ones to Watch’ lists will set a benchmark of success for the European business community.”

Jean Stephens, CEO of RSM, added, “To be listed as a ‘Ones to Watch’ is a real accolade. At RSM, we work with companies across Europe and beyond, advising them on all areas of their business and we are passionate about encouraging success and prosperity. We wish these dynamic companies every success in the future.”

Bedfont, who applied for the International Expansion award, will now have a chance to compete in the European Business Awards to become a National Winner in their country in May 2018.

Bedfont Scientific Ltd, based in Harrietsham, UK, returns to Arab Health 2018 to exhibit its wide range of breath analysis medical devices for medical applications

Established in 1976, Bedfont a second-generation family company that has specialised in the design and manufacture of exhaled breath and gas monitoring instruments for medical, scientific and industrial markets globally, for over 40 years. For the 8th year is a row, Bedfont returning to Arab Health, Dubai, to showcase their breath analysis medical devices, in their ambition to continue innovating and improving health worldwide.

Bedfont’s Medi-Gas Check range of medical pipeline testing equipment safeguards patients and staff against harmful gases. By testing the gas in the pipeline, its quantity and quality can be verified to ensure no harmful gas leaking, but also that the right gas is administered to patients. Their breath analysers include carbon monoxide (CO) monitors such as the Smokerlyzer®, used for smoking cessation, and the ToxCO®, used by emergency services to diagnose CO poisoning. The NObreath® FeNO monitor provides of airway inflammation for improving asthma management, and the Gastrolyzer® range aids in the detection of gastrointestinal disorders and food intolerances. Quick and non-invasive, breath analysis is the new blood test.

Andy Smith, Manager, says, “2018 marks the 8th year in a row that Bedfont® has attended the Arab Health exhibition and each year has been central to our growth in the Middle Eastern markets. One example would be our new Middle East Territory Manager, Ahmed . We met Ahmed at Arab Health and have worked alongside him as our distributor. The longevity of our relationship has been promising for our presence in the Middle East and so last year we employed Ahmed to help us grow further.”

To see Bedfont and their full range of products, please visit their stand H7E15.

The NObreath® FeNO monitor, recommended by The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) [1], is the essential tool for GP’s and asthma patients to help improve asthma management.

According to Asthma UK, currently 5.4 million people suffer from asthma, however, “every day the lives of three families are devastated by the death of a loved one to an asthma attack, and tragically of these deaths are preventable”. In 2016 in England and Wales alone, a shocking 1,237 people died from an asthma attack[2]. In November 2017, NICE published the final guidelines on Asthma: diagnosis, monitoring and chronic asthma management, to improve asthma care, which included the NObreath® FeNO monitor from and second-generation family company, Bedfont Scientific Ltd., as a recommended device.

Bedfont has specialised in the design and manufacture of breath analysis medical devices for over 40 years and in 2017 their NObreath® FeNO monitor is celebrating 10 years of improving asthma management. Bedfont have been campaigning vigorously to raise awareness of FeNO measuring and its benefits, especially after last year when asthma figures sparked increased concern; statistics released from Asthma UK which found that over 120,000 asthma sufferers in the UK are at risk from wrongly prescribed medication and NICE’s findings that 30% of people with asthma suspected to have been misdiagnosed[3,4]. Asthma UK also found that “around 90,000 people in England, 6,000 in Wales, 7,000 in Scotland and 3,500 in Northern Ireland could have uncontrolled asthma that is not being monitored by health-care professionals.”[3]

The NICE asthma guidance has been revised in order to resolve the above concerns, and in particular now includes a patient pathway involving the monitoring of FeNO levels at an early stage to help improve basic asthma care, prevent further misdiagnosis of asthma and the wrong prescription of medication. The new guidelines state that FeNO measurements should be considered ‘as an option to support asthma management in people who are symptomatic despite using inhaled corticosteroids’[5].

Bedfont has responded to the consultation of the NICE asthma guidance and has been working with GP’s on FeNO testing to raise awareness of the benefits now that the NICE asthma guidance recommends FeNO testing in asthma management. Bedfont hopes to help improve basic asthma care and save future lives with the NObreath®, which is also to ATS and ERS guidelines[6]. The NObreath® works by measuring FeNO through breath analysis, making the process quick, simple and non-invasive for both the GP and the patient. Interpreting FeNO levels aids in identifying patients who do/do not require on-going treatment[7] whilst also differentiating between allergic (eosinophilic) and non-allergic asthma[8], and if used daily, FeNO measurements can help to predict exacerbations and attacks.[9]

Jason Smith, Managing Director at Bedfont, explains, “Using FeNO measurements to evaluate airway inflammation in asthma represents a significant advance in respiratory medicine that had been expensive to deliver in everyday practice, until now with the NObreath®. We are honoured to have worked alongside NICE to help improve basic asthma care. The NICE guidelines are often practised and followed around the world and now the guidance on asthma has been published, we expect countries to follow suit and measure FeNO concentration when assessing potential asthma suffers, helping to save countless lives. We will continue innovating and improving health and hope to have a homecare FeNO device in the future, which will enable asthma patients to monitor their FeNO levels anytime, anywhere, to continue improving asthma management one breath at a time.”

Local medical device manufacturer, Bedfont Scientific Ltd., named as a runner-up for Exporter of the Year in its first-ever national business awards

Organised by SmallBusiness.co.uk and GrowthBusiness.co.uk, the British Small Business Awards was established in 2016 to commend small businesses in Britain for their quality products, services and significant contribution to Britain’s success.

Bedfont, who celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2016, a medical device manufacturer based in Harrietsham, Kent. The family company, of only 42 members, specialise in gas and breath analysis monitors for medical, scientific and industrial markets around the world. Their Medi-Gas Check range of medical pipeline testing equipment safeguards patients and staff against harmful gases, whilst their breath analysis monitors include carbon monoxide (CO) monitors such as the Smokerlyzer, for smoking cessation, and the ToxCO, to screen for CO poisoning. The NObreath FeNO monitor helps to improve asthma management, whilst the Gastrolyzer range aids in the detection of gastrointestinal disorders and food intolerances.

Bedfont named as a finalist for the Exporter of the Year accolade and although they did not receive the awards this year, the Judges highly commended Bedfont for being a British family manufacturer and for how their trade missions were working alongside smaller companies overseas and focusing on difficult markets such as Asia.

Jason Smith, Managing Director, comments, “For a small company with such a niche concept such as breath analysis to be considered for a national award is prestigious in itself. We wouldn’t be here today without our dedicated employees – the Bedfont family. Each member plays such a vital role in the success of our company and for that we are grateful. The British Small Business Awards are the first national award that Bedfont has been named as a finalist for and although we did not win this time around, we are humbled to have made it this far and will continue innovating and improving health worldwide in the hope of another chance next year.”

Bedfont Scientific Ltd., based in Harrietsham, is up for 3 different awards categories in the Made In the South East (MISE) Awards.

The Made in the South East (MISE) Awards, organised by Insider Media, are in their 5th year and are specifically designed so that manufacturing companies based in the South East can be recognised and rewarded for their business efforts. Categories include; Digital Engineering/Technology Award, Supply Chain Award, Manufacturing Innovation Award, Export Award, Food and Drink Award, Manufacturing Apprenticeship/Training Scheme Award, Manufacturer of the Year (turnover under £25m), and Manufacturer of the Year (turnover over £25m).

Established in 1976, Bedfont is a second generation family company that has specialised in the design and manufacture of exhaled breath and gas monitoring instruments for medical, scientific and industrial markets globally, for over 40 years. Bedfont is revered as a pioneer in the breath analysis market with their products now available in over 76 countries across the world thanks to their unprecedented network of appointed distributors. Their aim is to continue innovating and improving health worldwide.

Bedfont proud to announce that they have been shortlisted for the Manufacturing Innovation, Export, and Manufacturer of the Year (turnover under £25m) accolades.

Jason Smith, General Manager at Bedfont Scientific, comments, “Being a small business of only 42 members, Bedfont wouldn’t be where it is today without its dedicated employees; we’re a family. We keep our teams happy and motivated and in return, the extra lengths that our staff members go to make anything possible. For that, we are grateful. The MISE Awards are the first regional awards Bedfont has ever been a finalist for, but to be a finalist in 3 categories is even more exciting and an honour. Winning these awards would show the Bedfont family just how their hard work and dedication pays off, but even getting this far, as a finalist, is an achievement in itself. ”

The piCO™ Smokerlyzer® is being used in a study by the Maastricht University on the effectiveness of financial incentives and smoking cessation

Manufactured by second-generation family company, Bedfont® Scientific Ltd., the piCO™ Smokerlyzer® is a breath analysis medical device used to help people quit smoking. It will be used in a clinical study at the Maastricht University to investigate whether or not a reward makes smoking cessation more effective.

The project, CATCH (Continuous Abstinence Through Corporate Healthcare), run by Prof. Dr. C. P. van Schayck and Dr. G. E. Nagelhout, will take several Dutch companies partaking in Smoking Cessation programmes, however only half of the subjects will receive gift certificates for their efforts.[1]

The Smokerlyzer® range is a series of carbon monoxide (CO) monitors that measures the harmful amount of CO that is inhaled from smoking, which can show how much a patient has been smoking, giving smoking cessation advisors an idea on the level of dependency that the smoker has.

Sinefuma, a Smokerlyzer® distributor for Bedfont, is the biggest smoking cessation company in the Netherlands. Marcel Clarijs, director at SineFuma, explains, “It is beautiful that we can work together with the university and participate in research to find how we can get more succesfull quitters. We ran the smoking cessation programme within this study and were able to provide them with useful Smokerlyzer® monitors so they can validate the success rates. This CATCH project consisted of about 60 group trainings with 50 different companies to help employees to quit smoking. Roughly 600 people participated in total and now over the next 3 years the university will do the research.”

Jason Smith, Managing Director at Bedfont, adds, “The Smokerlyzer® has been used globally for over 30 years now to help people quit smoking – it is quick, easy and non-invasive making it a valuable tool to monitor a quit attempt, as well as being a motivational visual aid to encourage the user to quit smoking. We are very proud that SineFuma has managed to involve the piCO™ Smokerlyzer® in this study and hopefully, through the research done by Maastricht University, we can help to find new methods and incentives to help people quit smoking successfully.”

REFERENCES

1.     Floor van den Brand [Internet]. Generalpracticemaastricht.nl. 2017 [cited 14 July 2017]. Available from: http://www.generalpracticemaastricht.nl/research/floor-van-den-brand/

British medical device manufacturer, Bedfont Scientific Ltd., introduces their ToxCO carbon monoxide (CO) breath analysis monitor for quick, non-invasive and effective screening of CO poisoning.

The ToxCO CO monitor has been designed by Bedfont, based in Kent, to safely and effectively screen patients for carbon monoxide poisoning. Known as the silent killer, CO is a colourless, odourless, highly poisonous gas that is produced when fuels are burned incompletely. Everybody is exposed to CO in everyday life; from boilers, open fires, cars, generators and even burning your toast. CO poisoning is the most common type of fatal poisoning in many countries[1]. Prolonged exposure can lead to severe health consequences, and if exposed for too long, death. An exposure to 1200ppm of carbon monoxide can kill you within 3 minutes[2].

According to the Department of Health for England and Wales, on average per year, 4,000 people go to A&E, 200 people are hospitalised and there are around 50 deaths, all because of carbon monoxide poisoning[3]. In the United States between 1999 and 2010, a total of 5,149 deaths were from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning – an average of 430 deaths per year[4].

From the pioneers in breath analysis, the ToxCO monitor measures exhaled breath on a patient to screen for carbon monoxide poisoning, providing a quicker method than the traditional blood test. A breath sample can be taken from a patient via mouthpiece, or in instances where the patient is responsive unconscious, by face mask. By being able to mass screen patients on-site, it can rule out unnecessary hospital admissions and save valuable time, furthermore, the ToxCO has ambient monitoring which begins from switch-on, alerting emergency services to high levels of atmospheric CO at the scene of the incident, helping to safeguard them and be prepared.

With the Emergency Services Show (ESS) just around the corner, Bedfont is campaigning to #stopthesilentkiller. They are giving all emergency services personnel attending, the chance to enter into a prize draw and win a brand new ToxCO.

Jason Smith, managing director at Bedfont, explains, “The traditional method of screening for CO poisoning is a blood sample. Breath analysis with the ToxCO is non-invasive, which means less discomfort for the patient and valuable time saved as %COHb and ppm values are shown onscreen instantly compared to the lengthy process of bloodwork. The ToxCO will save time and lives.”

REFERENCES

1.     Humber, A. (2009) ‘A Feasibility study into the prehospital carbon monoxide poisoning of patients’, London Ambulance Service NHS.

2.     CO Health Risks – Detect Carbon Monoxide [Internet]. Detect Carbon Monoxide. 2017 [cited 23 August 2017]. Available from: http://www.detectcarbonmonoxide.com/co-health-risks/

3.     Carbon monoxide poisoning sends 4,000 people to A&E each year – GOV.UK [Internet]. Gov.uk. 2017 [cited 1 September 2017]. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/carbon-monoxide-poisoning-sends-4-000-people-to-a-e-each-year

4.     Carbon Monoxide Exposures — United States, 2000–2009 [Internet]. Cdc.gov. 2017 [cited 1 September 2017]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6030a2.htm

To celebrate 10 years of improving asthma management with their NObreath® FeNO monitor, Bedfont® Scientific Ltd. are giving you the chance to win a NObreath® at the ERS Congress.

Regarded as the largest gathering of respiratory professionals worldwide, this year the European Respiratory Society (ERS) will be congregating in Milan between 9-13th September. Medical device manufacturer, Bedfont®, who launched their NObreath® FeNO monitor, for improving asthma management, at ERS 2007 are returning 10 years later to celebrate the 10th birthday of the NObreath® at the 2017 ERS Congress, by hosting a competition where one lucky winner can win their very own monitor.

Entrants simply have to take a NObreath® FeNO test and have their photo taken with their FeNO reading to be included in the prize draw. All participants will also receive a free gift and additional entries can be gained by liking and sharing their picture on social media using the hashtag #knowyourFeNO.

Using FeNO measurements to evaluate airway inflammation in asthma represents a significant advance in respiratory medicine[1], but until now it has been an expensive test to deliver in everyday practice. Recommended by NICE[2] and conformed to ERS/ATS guidelines[3], the NObreath® FeNO monitor is the essential tool for asthma.

Lois Penhaligan, Specialist Respiratory Physiologist, at the Lung Function Laboratory in Llandough, says, “It can be used with patients who have respiratory symptoms, particularly with an unexplained cough and we are looking for the possible cause. The FeNO breath test is used for an assessment of airway inflammation, for the assessment of the effectiveness of a treatment, for example, a bronchodilator and for the management of a disease, for example, asthma.”

Jason Smith, General Manager at Bedfont Scientific Ltd, explains, “Nitric Oxide is naturally produced by the lungs to combat airway inflammation, therefore FeNO levels are higher in people with asthma and, by measuring these levels during diagnosis and management of the disease, it can improve basic asthma care. By using the NObreath® FeNO monitor in basic asthma care, the GP will be able to not only determine the type of asthma (allergic or non-allergic) allowing the correct medication to be prescribed but also differentiate between asthma and other respiratory conditions. Furthermore, the NObreath® shows patient adherence to medicine allowing GP’s to adjust and prescribe the level of medication as necessary. We are proud to have spent the past 10 years perfecting FeNO monitoring to be able to provide not only an affordable technology but also a quick, easy and non-invasive procedure for both the GP and the patient, to improve asthma management.”

REFERENCES

1. Andrew D. Smith, Jan O. Cowan, Sue Filsell, Chris MacLachlan, Gabrielle Monti-Sheehan, Pamela Jackson and D. Robin Taylor. Diagnosing Asthma: Comparisons between Exhaled Nitric Oxide Measurements and Conventional Tests. Am J Respir Crit Care Med Vol 169. pp 473-478, 2004.

2. Measuring fractional exhaled nitric oxide concentration in asthma: NIOX MINO, NIOX VERO and NObreath | Guidance and guidelines | NICE [Internet]. Nice.org.uk. 2014 [cited 11 July 2017]. Available from: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/dg12

3. ATS/ERS Recommendations for Standardized Procedures for the Online and Offline Measurement of Exhaled Lower Respiratory Nitric Oxide and Nasal Nitric Oxide, 2005; American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine; vol. 171: 912-930;2005

Small family business, Bedfont® exports to over 70 countries worldwide, but just how do they do it?

Established in 1976, Bedfont® is a second-generation family business that specialises in the design and manufacture of breath analysis medical devices. Despite being a small company of only 38 employees, Bedfont® is revered as a pioneer in the breath analysis market with their products now available in over 76 countries and export business accounting for over 75% of its annual turnover.

Jason Smith, managing director, explains, “Bedfont® operates through an unprecedented network of appointed distributors. We regard our distributors as an extension of the Bedfont® family and this is shown through the longevity of our working relationships. In fact, one of our oldest distributors was established in Austria in 1988 by my father, Trevor, and that relationship continues today with the distributor’s daughter.”

Andy Smith, sales manager, adds, “By working closely with our distributors we are able to work with KOLS to push legislation, have insight into the markets in regards to competition and even tailor-make versions of our products to meet the market-specific demands of each country we export to. We maintain such a close relationship with our distributors by hosting annual distributor meetings to discuss ways to market products, any barriers that may exist and how to overcome them. Our latest distributor meeting took place in Japan this year and was hosted by one of our top distributors Harada Corporation.”

Yonemura Yusuke, general manager at Harada Corporation, comments, “It was a great honour to host the Bedfont® Far East Distributor Meeting in Japan. We really appreciate Bedfont® giving us the opportunity to meet other distributors and share experiences we have all had in each country. It was a great opportunity to teach, learn and make new connections.”