
INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS IMPROVING PATIENT CARE
About Ridgeline Medical Supply Inc.
Ridgeline Medical Supply Inc. (Ridgeline) provides innovative solutions to the healthcare sector. Ridgeline products are designed to improve patient and staff experience, support safer clinical care and contribute to more efficient and cost-effective clinical care.
The IVCaddyTM
(Patent Pending)

Understanding the problem
- using a regular IV pole was identified as a frequent problem when the pole was combined with multiple devices
- the problem centered on disorganized equipment and tubing which created efficiency and safety issues
- professionals have a strong desire to improve the day-to-day experience of patients
- IV poles can become top-heavy and pose a tipping hazard
- lines and tubes are often poorly secured and easily become tangled and caught on objects and furniture.
Conclusions:
Patients may be connected to multiple pieces of medical equipment such as an oxygen tank, a Pleurovac pump, IV fluids and a catheter. This connected equipment becomes a challenge for nursing staff to organize when preparing a patient for ambulation. It is a clinical priority to assist the patient to ambulate early in their recovery. Ambulating patients can be hazardous to the patient and staff. Patients may be weak and feel anxious about moving around. Consequently, in busy nursing units, patients are not always ambulated as early and as often as they should be to promote recovery and minimize the risk of adverse outcomes.
There is a better way.
The IVCaddy Solution
- organizing medical equipment into one unit. This can include a Pleurovac pump,
Foley catheter/bag, oxygen cylinder and other connected devices - attaching to the most commonly used IV poles
- supporting improved patient mobilization
- creating a more stable, safer IV pole
- being quickly and easily cleaned

Benefits of Using the IVCaddy
Improved patient and staff experience
Patients report feeling more confident when moving around with the IVCaddy and experience less fear of tangled tubing and lines. They are less worried about tripping and falling or having needles pulled out. The IVCaddy also addresses the patient’s embarrassment by shielding the catheter bag from view.
Supporting safety
The IVCaddy improves IV pole stability thereby improving patient and staff safety. The centre of gravity is lowered by providing storage and organization of equipment at the base of an IV pole. Additionally, the associated IV lines and tubing can be neatly organized and kept off the floor. Falls in a hospital are among the most frequent adverse events according to the National Centre For Injury Prevention & Control.
Increased efficiency
Using the IVCaddy potentially decreases the number of staff required to support mobilizing patients. Nurses report that some patients require the assistance of two or more staff to ensure safe ambulation. By bringing various devices into one unit fewer staff are required.
Improved mobilization
The IVCaddy assists staff to ambulate patients earlier and more effectively. Considerable research demonstrates the resulting improved patient and health system outcomes of effective patient ambulation. The IVCaddy is a new device that can support the uptake and application of patient ambulation programs in hospitals.