In this article we examine Covidien, a healthcare company with surgical, patient care, respiratory, imaging and pharmaceutical products. Covidien wound care products range from traditional products to innovative, advanced technologies designed to prevent wound complications and infection in order to help promote healing. Covidien also provides education and training for surgeons, nurses and other healthcare professionals to help improve patient outcomes.

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Who is Covidien?
Covidien [1] is a leading global manufacturer of medical devices and supplies, diagnostic imaging agents and pharmaceuticals, with a 2010 revenue of $10.4 billion, 42,000 employees worldwide in more than 60 countries, and a broad range of products sold in over 140 countries. Covidien has shown commitment to innovation in order to improve patient outcomes. The company's products are used by clinicians and patients at all stages of the patient journey, from surgery, to wound closure, to wound management and finally to patient monitoring and ongoing patient care [Figure 1]. Covidien continues to demonstrate a leadership role in wound care.

Covidien wound care brands[2] have a long history
The Kendall company, now a part of Covidien, began in 1903 under the stewardship of its founder, Henry P Kendall, who invested in a small textile mill in Walpole, Massachusetts, US, producing cotton batting, carpet linings and absorbent cotton. Production soon expanded to include cotton products used in healthcare, such as sterile wipes and surgical dressings, and with the advent of the First World War, the Kendall brand of surgical dressings and cotton gauze were in great demand.

Since those early beginnings the company's wound care portfolio has broadened, diversified and advanced to provide the comprehensive range in use today. The company grew rapidly during the 1920s and 30s with both acquisition and development of new products; expansion continued during the early 1940s fuelled by the demand for surgical and first aid products during the Second World War. By the 1970s Kendall was a major supplier of US hospital and home healthcare as well as first aid products. Kendall became a wholly owned subsidiary of Colgate-Palmolive in 1972, but reverted to being an independent company in the late 1980s, marketing to over 80 countries predominantly in the US, Europe, the Far East and Latin America. Key products during the 1990s included the well-established wound care brands as well as elastic supports and hosiery, disposable medical, surgical, and vascular therapy products, including wound care supplies, stockings and compression devices designed to reduce the risk of thromboembolism. By 1993, Kendall had an 80% share of the US vascular compression market.

In late 1994, Kendall was purchased by Tyco International Ltd, and became part of the Tyco Healthcare division. In mid- 2007 Tyco spun off the healthcare segment as an independent company under the Covidien name, where it continues to grow as a broad line, global healthcare company.

Where are Covidien products used today?
Covidien products are used in the surgical suite and for routine patient care in the acute and long-term care settings for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of healthcare complications. Covidien products are found in hospitals, medical and nursing care facilities, and patients' homes. Sold
through a combination of direct and distributor sales forces, Covidien products are available worldwide.