New Products and Industry News

New CMS Pressure Ulcer Guidelines support use of suspension boot

  DM Systems, Inc. (Evanston, IL) announces that the Heelift Suspension Boot can help hospitals address the new CMS guideline to stop reimbursing hospitals for hospital-acquired pressure ulcers, to take effect October 2008. For more than a decade, the product has helped hospitals reduce the incidence of preventable pressure ulcers. The product can be utilized in all types of facilities including acute care facilities.

  For more information, visit www.dmsystems.com.

New tool for observing and reporting IAD

  Sage Products (Cary, IL) has a new way to help healthcare staff observe and report incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD) to nurses. The company’s Peri Check™ is now available on Comfort Shield® Barrier Cloth 8-packs and multiuse tabs. The product incorporates peel-and-stick labels that can be easily used by non-licensed staff to note any indication of IAD and report it to the patient’s nurse.

  For more information, visit www.sageproducts.com.

Vascular product completes Phase I testing

  Cardio Vascular BioTherapeutics Inc. (CVBT) (Las Vegas, NV) has completed Phase I of its would healing clinical trial aimed at evaluating the safety and tolerability of the company’s protein-based drug candidate (CVBT-141B). The product is formulated with human fibroblast growth factor-1 (FGF-1) and used in patients with diabetic or venous stasis ulcers.

  FGF-1 was applied topically in eight subjects at a single site and was found to be well tolerated. According to the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, 15% of the estimated 20 million Americans afflicted with diabetes will develop a serious foot ulcer during their lifetime.

  FGF-1 offers the possibility of improved dermal ulcer healing by promoting new blood vessel growth (angiogenesis) in the wound bed, resulting in enhanced development of granulation tissue; it also is able to fill wounds of almost any size.

  Preclinical studies showed that FGF-1 significantly reduced the healing time of full-thickness dermal wounds in normal healthy rats and mice and showed an even greater acceleration of dermal healing in diabetic mice.

  For more information, visit www.cvbt.com.

Wound care company now provides NPWT

  Smith & Nephew Advanced Wound Management, (UK and Largo, FL) is the first wound care company to provide negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT). NPWT is a technology used to treat chronic wounds such as diabetic ulcers, pressure ulcers, and postoperative and hard-to-heal wounds. It aids in the healing of open wounds by the application of subatmospheric pressure.

  The company has added a range of NPWT products to its advanced wound management portfolio: EZCARE™ is designed for simple operation to minimize training requirements and improve efficiency; and VISTA™ incorporates a range of safety features such as low vacuum alarms for detection of leaks and sensing technology to protect against high vacuum levels.

  The company also announces its new ALLEVYN Ag, a silver hydrocellular foam dressing designed to simplify the use of silver in wound care. It provides sustained, controlled silver release at bactericidal levels throughout its 7-day wear time even against such difficult pathogens as MRSA and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This creates an ideal moist environment to promote faster healing, with sustained antibacterial protection. For caregivers the effective exudate absorption and dressing integrity minimizes messy dressing changes, while its 7-day wear time permits fewer dressings and increases cost-effectiveness.

  For more information, call (800) 876-1261 or visit www.smith-nephew.com.

Honey-based wound care product available

  Derma Sciences, Inc. (Princeton, NJ), launched and shipped its first sales of Active Leptospermum (Manuka) honey-based MEDIHONEY™, which claims to be the first honey-based wound care product available in the US. The product received FDA clearance in July 2007. The company believes that interest in the product’s effectiveness in the management of wound and burns will continue to grow.

  For more information, visit www.dermasciences.com.