Verizon on XPO closure: This is their decision
A Memphis distribution center announced it would soon close, laying off as many as 400 workers in a move denounced by one labor union as “disgraceful.”
Following XPO’S Logistic’s announcement to close distribution center in the coming months, XPO’S client, Verizon Wireless, said the decision to close the factory solely belongs to XPO.
“We’re transitioning the distribution of Verizon Wireless products out of this Memphis distribution center to other facilities operated by new and existing partners,” said Richard Young, a spokesman for the company.
“In this case, the center’s operator made the decision to close the facility. This was their decision,” Verizon said.
Young said that Verizon’s decision to redirect the XPO warehouse’s workload to other shipping facilities is a routing one.
“We’re constantly evaluating the needs of our business and make adjustments accordingly,” Young said. “There is nothing unique about this transition.”
In a letter to the employees that explained the decision to shutter the warehouse, XPO told the employees, “This closure stems from an overall business model change initiated and completed by our customer [Verizon].”
According to their website, XPO has additional clients aside from Verizon.
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pioneered involving a device smaller than a pea.
“I think the obstacle was that no one knew it was even possible to do (the procedure), because these babies are so small and so fragile,” said Le Bonheur’s Dr. Shyam Sathanandam, leader of the team who performed Katelynn’s procedure.
“We came up with a technique by which it can be done.”
What is PDA, and how is it treated?
A PDA happens when the heart’s ductus arteriosus doesn’t close after the baby is born like it should. This opening puts more strain on premature babies’ lungs and heart, preventing them from feeding, breathing or developing normally, said Sathanandam, medical director of Le Bonheur’s Interventional Cardiac Imaging and Interventional Catheterization Laboratory.
PDA closure procedures have been around for decades. But while children and adults can receive PDA closures through minimally invasive techniques (no cutting or stitching needed), babies need to be operated on in a much more extreme way.
“You have to actually cut the baby open to see where the PDA is, and then you have to tie off (the opening) and fix the baby back up,” Sathanandam said. “When you’re doing such an operation in a premature, small baby, there are consequences that made people stop doing it.”
Doctors have tried medicines for PDA closure, too, but they haven’t proved effective, he added.
Le Bonheur develops newborn-friendly operation
Le Bonheur figured out how to close a premature baby’s PDA in a less intrusive way.
Sathanandam said the hospital perfected a technique in which a tiny catheter is put into a leg vein and guided up to the heart, where a plug is placed to close the heart defect. Real-time ultrasound imaging assists the medical team members as they maneuver the catheter in and out of the body.
There was one holdup to Le Bonheur’s method: No one had yet developed a plug both small enough to fit through the catheter and reliable enough to close the heart defect.
That is until health care company Abbott developed the Amplatzer Piccolo Occluder, a self-expanding wire mesh device that seals the PDA opening. Abbott is no stranger to treating PDA, with its Amplatzer Duct Occluder II product being used for larger pediatric patients.
“Piccolo is a critical advancement in the standard of care for the most vulnerable of premature babies who may not be able to undergo surgery to repair their hearts,” Michael Dale, vice president for Abbott’s structural heart business, said of the device.
The “Piccolo” needed U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for commercial use, so the FDA gathered nine medical centers to perform a trial with the device.
Le Bonheur, well-versed in the procedure, was one of the medical centers invited
What’s next for ‘milestone’ procedure?
The Amplatzer Piccolo Occluder didn’t have to wait long to see use — Le Bonheur performed the first implant of the device post-approval this month.
Katelynn’s operation was a success for several reasons besides ensuring Katelynn’s good health, Sathanandam said. FDA approval for a procedure performed on such small patients is a rarity, he said.
“I think it’s a huge milestone because there are no Fda-approved devices for anyone less than (12 pounds),” he said. “We did the first such thing that’s fully approved by the FDA.”
Le Bonheur will keep tabs on the premature babies who receive the treatment to make sure they develop as they should with their PDA treated.
“The next step will be to show this therapy makes these babies eat better, grow faster and come off the ventilator sooner to go home faster,” Sathanandam said, adding that long-term development also will be monitored.
Sathanandam called the successful procedure “a team effort” and was happy Le Bonheur took the lead on its development.
“For me, the satisfaction is that this will help a lot of children,” he said.
Max Garland covers Fedex, logistics and health care for The Commercial Appeal. Reach him at max.garland@commercialappeal.com or 901-529-2651.