As Washington policymakers grapple with health care reform legislation, Texas-based Estill Medical Technologies, Inc. -- the maker of the high-tech Thermal Angel Blood and IV Fluid Infusion Warmer -- is delivering high-impact, low-cost healthcare solutions on the battlefield, in hospitals, and at the scene of trauma incidents throughout the United States, said Jay Lopez, Estill's president and chief operating officer.

"While members of Congress are deliberating about how to fix our nation's health care system, the Thermal Angel utilizes the best technology available to save American lives and dollars at home and abroad," said Lopez, whose company has become an industry leader.

The Thermal Angel, a patented medical device being utilized by U.S. government, military and emergency responders, is crucial to critical care administration because it helps prevent a trauma victim's core body temperature from dropping to a hypothermic level.

Why is it so effective? Previously medics generally warmed an IV bag using their own body heat or a cumbersome AC-powered fluid warmer. With a battery-operated Thermal Angel, medical staff are able to infuse blood and IV fluids at a continuously regulated 38 degrees Celsius.

Disposable and lightweight (only 9 oz.), the Thermal Angel utilizes advanced technology which regulates temperature almost 5,000 times per second. It also requires only 30 seconds to set up and start delivering warm fluid in either a battlefield or commercial healthcare setting.

Jay Lopez, along with his father, Leonard Lopez, the company's chairman, and his brother, Brandon Lopez, vice president of operations and business development, run the family-owned business in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

Brandon Lopez said: "The Thermal Angel requires nominal training. The five steps are printed on the Thermal Angel label, bag, and instruction insert. Medics may refer to a 2 1/2 minute online video for instruction, and the company provides 24/7 online video conferencing support to handle questions from the field."

The Thermal Angel eases logistical and medical challenges, which greatly reduces life-threatening conditions and costs, by following the patient from the initial point of injury, through transport, into ER and recovery for an uninterrupted continuum care.

"Having the Thermal Angel on the scene in the first 60 minutes after a trauma incident can make the difference between life and death," said Jay Lopez, adding that healthcare providers prefer Thermal Angel because it is portable, disposable and requires virtually no staff training to use.

"Most hospitals and EMS facilities train themselves on the Thermal Angel and do not require an in-house training session," said Brandon Lopez, adding that the company itself has low overhead and relies heavily on Internet marketing for sales.

The Thermal Angel was designed to require a minimal capital expenditure with no commitments from the hospital in order to encourage warming for all patients, not just a select few cases -- allowing the Thermal Angel to be priced below the competition, he said.

Why are the Lopez brothers injecting themselves into the health care debate?

"Our concern is that policymakers are rushing to enact legislation without a full awareness of what small businesses like ours are doing to save lives while reducing costs through the use of high technology. We'd like the chance to tell our story before it's too late," said Jay Lopez.