New Products and Industry News March

Fecal management system improved

      ConvaTec (Skillman, NJ) launched Flexi-Seal® SIGNAL™ Fecal Management System (FMS). Now available in the US, UK, and other key European markets, the system has been enhanced with new features, including a signal indicator that pops to help clinicians determine when the device’s retention balloon is filled to an appropriate volume, a new charcoal-filtered collection bag to contain and lock in odor, and a new strap to secure onto an open bed frame to minimize the risk of contamination from spillage. Other new convenience and ease-of-use features include a blue, easy to locate finger pocket designed for simple single-finger insertion and an increased irrigation lumen to aid in the administration of fluid to facilitate irrigation. The improvements enhance confidence that the product creates a safe and effective seal for patient protection. The most widely used fecal management system worldwide, the product was improved to help reduce the risk of skin breakdown and spread of infections such as Clostridium difficile, improve patient comfort, save nursing time, and reduce total care costs.

      For more information, visit www.convatec.com.

Heel boot redistributes weight, wicks away moisture

     Gaymar Industries (Orchard Park, NY) introduced the Sof•Care® Elite Heel Boot, designed to prevent and treat all stages of pressure ulcers at the foot, heel, and Achilles. Lightweight, comfortable, and pre-inflated to allow for use right out of the package, the heel boot completely elevates the heel off the bed surface and floats it on a cushion of air to eliminate heel pressure and protect against pressure ulcer formation. The heel boot has an open design that allows air circulation around the foot while providing easy access to visibility of the heel. The new boot employs the company’s Sof•Care air-channeling technology for pressure management. This technology consists of interconnected air cells exchanging air to redistribute weight to achieve low tissue interface pressures. To help keep lower limbs cool and comfortable, the heel boot has a soft, nonabrasive inner lining that wicks away moisture and rounded contours to promote proper anatomical alignment, stability, and comfort. The heel boot has a small opening at the heel optimized to enhance air flow and manage the patient’s microclimate while keeping the heel elevated when the patient’s knees are bent. The easy-to-clean boot is made with durable Nylon exterior that enables resistance-free repositioning and helps reduce shearing.

       For more information, visit www.gaymar.com.

Texas pharmaceutical business is a “best place to work”

     Healthpoint Ltd (Fort Worth, Tex) was named one of the Best Companies to Work for in Texas 2010. The awards program was created in 2006 and is the collaboration of Texas Monthly Magazine, the Texas Association of Business, the Texas State Council of the Society for Human Resource Management, and Best Companies Group. Of the several hundred companies evaluated, 85 were recognized this year, including 35 medium-sized companies, of which Healthpoint represented the only pharmaceutical company on the list and ranked at #20.

     This statewide survey and awards program was designed to identify, recognize, and honor the best places of employment in the state of Texas and to benefit the state's economy, workforce, and businesses. Companies from across the state entered the two-part process. First, each nominee evaluated their company’s workplace policies, practices, and demographics. Next, employee surveys were conducted to measure employee satisfaction. This accounted for approximately 75% of each company’s total evaluation. Final scores determined the top companies and overall company rankings. Healthpoint feels humbled by this honor; it reflects employee satisfaction with their work environment and their role in the company’s business philosophy.

       For more information, visit www.healthpoint.com.

Research grants evaluate healing markers in chronic wounds

     Healthpoint (Fort Worth, Tex) has provided research grants to the University of Florida, Gainesville (Gainesville, Fla) and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (Nashville, Tenn) to support a joint study evaluating bioburden and potential healing markers in chronic wounds. This research initiative will explore the hypothesis that bacterial biofilms are associated with the breakdown of key components on cells and in the extracellular matrix (ECM) that regulate wound healing. Professor Gregory Schultz and Dr. Joyce Stechmiller of the University of Florida and Professors Lillian Nanney and Jeffrey M. Davidson of Vanderbilt University will serve as co-investigators for the study.

     During normal wound healing, interactions between cells and the extracellular matrix are continually changing in a reciprocal and dynamic manner that regulates the phases of healing and determines the outcome of the repair process. In difficult-to-heal or chronic wounds, this process (dynamic reciprocity) is disrupted and the wound fails to proceed through the sequential phases of healing in a timely fashion. Currently, clinicians do not have diagnostic markers to locate biofilms or to evaluate the status of dynamic reciprocity processes in their patients’ wounds.

     In the joint study, sequential biopsies and wound fluid samples will be obtained from 20 patients with chronic wounds during their course of therapy at the Lake City VA Medical Center Nursing Home, which has an association with the University of Florida, Gainesville. Sample specimens will be analyzed for bacterial biofilms at the University of Florida’s Institute for Wound Research using unique culturing techniques. The findings will be correlated with the healing progress of individual wounds and with measures of dynamic reciprocity. A portion of the specimens will also be transferred to Vanderbilt University for proteomic analysis (evaluation of the structure and function of proteins that make up the physiological pathways of cells) to correlate patterns with wound healing outcomes and to identify sentinel indicators of healing. The overall goal of this research project is to identify proteins that are uniquely altered in chronic wounds and apply this knowledge to the development of better treatment strategies that would more effectively remove biofilms and prevent their reformation in impaired wounds.

       For more information, visit www.healthpoint.com.

Exclusive distribution agreement signed

     Derma Sciences, Inc (Princeton, NJ) signed an exclusive distribution agreement, effective last month, with Medline Industries (Mundelein, Ill) for the sale of one of its key products, BIOGUARD™ Barrier Dressing, into the acute care market. Medline is the second leading provider of traditional wound care products into acute care facilities with more than 800 sales representatives. This contract will allow Medline to place BIOGUARD™ products on its current traditional wound care group purchasing organization agreements. This also represents a critical 2010 new product introduction platform for Medline, adding to the company's list of proprietary wound care products in the United States.

      For more information, visit www.dermasciences.com.

Wound care company purchases foam firm

     Mölnlycke Health Care (Norcross, Ga) completed the purchase of hydrophilic polyurethane foam specialist Rynel in a deal designed to support the group’s wound care product offering. Rynel is a valued supplier for the Mölnlycke Health Care foam-based wound care assortment including products such as Mepilex®, Mepilex® Border and Mepilex® Ag. The deal will strengthen the relationship and support the continued growth and innovation of the product offering. As part of Mölnlycke Health Care, Rynel will gain access to the Mölnlycke’s global resources.

       For more information, visit www.molnlycke.com.

Congress approves study of dressing for infected battlefield wounds

      Soluble Systems LLC (Newport News, Va) announced that $800,000 in funding has been approved in the 2010 Defense Appropriations Bill to support a Stage I multisite clinical study to investigate TheraGauze™ as a new battlefield wound dressing and antimicrobial release platform. This dressing shows promise for preventing and treating infection, speeding healing, and ultimately reducing the morbidity associated with battlefield injuries. The military has identified the dressing as an advanced “smart” dressing that can potentially reduce complications due to infection in battlefield wounds. Initial research has shown the dressing can heal certain chronic wounds faster than the current medical gold standard. Laboratory testing also shows the dressing to be an effective release platform to deliver antibiotics to the wound site; advanced research is required to confirm these capabilities in acute battlefield injuries and against serious infections including methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

     The study will be conducted at four highly regarded medical facilities and benefit from the involvement of nationally recognized infectious disease experts. Planned facilities include Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center at Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins Medical Center, The University of Cincinnati Medical Center, and the Eastern Virginia Medical School. The overall program will be directed by investigators at the Combat Casualty Care Research Program at Fort Detrick in Maryland.

       For more information, visit www.solublesystems.com.

License agreement for wound dressings expanded

     Quick-Med Technologies Inc (Gainesville, Fla) has amended its Patent and Technology License Agreement with Derma Sciences, Inc (Princeton, NJ) to grant Derma Sciences rights to use NIMBUS® technology in an expanded range of wound dressings formats marketed by Derma Sciences under its BIOGUARD™ trademark. The amendment also adjusts minimum royalties, provides terms for Derma Sciences entering into a private-label contract, and extends the term of the License for an additional 3 years subject to Derma Sciences meeting certain milestones and performance requirements. Both companies are pleased that Derma Sciences will soon distribute a wider range of dressings with NIMBUS technology. Quick-Med expects NIMBUS to become an important technology in the $14 billion global wound care market as wound care companies and healthcare professionals look for more effective and efficient ways to prevent infections and avoid cross-contamination.

      For more information, visit www.dermasciences.com.

WOCN awards research grant

     The Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurses Society ([WOCN] Mount Laurel, NJ) awarded a research grant to a team of investigators at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing. The purpose of the investigators’ study was to evaluate the impact of WOC specialty nursing practice on the quality and cost of care. Findings also will describe the contributions of WOCNs to the US Healthcare System and serve as a model of outcomes research related to specialty nursing practice. This is the largest known study to document the contributions of WOCNs and the largest initiative undertaken by the WOCN to advocate on its members’ behalf. By evaluating the effectiveness of WOCNs to prevent and manage wounds, continence, and urinary tract infections, this study has the potential to validate the great value and need for WOCNs. More than 1 million episodes of care will be examined to compare the prevalence/incidence of pressure ulcers, stasis ulcers, surgical wounds, urinary/bowel incontinence, and urinary tract infections at the beginning and conclusion of an episode of care within and across agencies with and without WOCNs. The study will address multiple outcome measures relevant to WOCNs’ practice, including fewer wound complications, increased percentage/number of wounds improved or healed, decreased length of time to healing, less emergent care/hospitalizations for wound infection and improvement, stabilization, or deterioration in urinary/bowel incontinence and urinary tract infections.

       For more information, visit www.wocn.org or www.nursing.umn.edu.