Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH) , in collaboration with MedStar Health’s Institute for Innovation, has launched Stray Away.
Stray Away’s creators describe it as a unique hair management drape designed to streamline surgical procedure preparation and improve the patient experience. This goal is to minimize hair obstruction in the surgical area, saving valuable time for surgical teams while offering a less intrusive experience for patients.
Stray Away addresses challenges faced during craniofacial and neurosurgical procedures, which often require laborious manual braiding, tying, invasive shaving, or even stapling of a patient’s hair to clear the surgical area. The design of the drape ensures patient hair is safely and easily kept away from the sterile surgical site, according to Cardinal Health and MedStar Health. They say the result is faster and more efficient patient preparation.
Developed through a partnership between Cardinal Health and the Washington, D.C.–area health provider MedStar Health, the Stray Away drape features three anchoring points: linear edge tape, hair Velcro, and stabilizing clips. These points secure the patient’s hair away from the surgical area, providing a steady hold throughout surgery while enabling quick and effortless removal after the procedure.
Kelley Moffett, SVP of Global Medical Products at Cardinal Health, highlighted the company’s dedication to addressing patient needs and delivering solutions that alleviate pain points for customers. Moffett expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration with the MedStar Health team and the potential benefits of the Stray Away drape for healthcare providers and their patients.
“With the launch of the Stray Away drape, we can offer our customers a solution to an ongoing problem, giving back valuable time to the surgical team, and helping patients have a less intrusive experience,” Moffett said in a news release.
A former MedStar Health plastic surgery resident and her educational peer initially proposed the idea for the Stray Away hair drape. The duo sought to address challenges related to maintaining sterility and control over hair-bearing surgical areas while avoiding the need to shave patients’ hair before surgery.
Marck-Arthur Clerveau, director of business innovation at MedStar Health, praised the partnership with Cardinal Health and emphasized the importance of empowering healthcare professionals to innovate in their daily practice. “MedStar Health is proud to build upon our history of empowering and connecting our inventors to make a meaningful impact through external collaboration.”