New Products and Industry News

Silver dressing helps reduce infection risk

    Medline Industries Inc. (Mundelein, Ill.) announced the launch of SilvaSorb® Site, a new addition to the company’s line of infection control products. The dressing will help protect insertion site areas from dangerous bacteria including MRSA and help reduce the risk of infection.

    The dressings are available in two sizes, depending on the diameter of the percutaneous device. The dressing wraps snuggly around catheters, CV lines, feeding tubes, and other medical devices inserted into the skin.

    The dressing’s thin construction allows it to lie flat against the skin, providing more secure, comfortable protection. The dressing can absorb more than five times its weight and is non-toxic, non-irritating, and non-sensitizing. The dressing is self-regulating and does not require wetting or rewetting to activate. Its non-adherent material provides pain-free removal at dressing changes.

    The dressing also incorporates a matrix technology, which absorbs excess fluid and delivers a highly effective silver antimicrobial that kills infection-causing germs for up to 7 days.

    The antimicrobial silver is both non-toxic and non-irritating. It is safe to apply directly over wound areas and can be used in pediatric care. The release mechanism provides an effective, non-toxic level of silver to the skin (or wound bed) without causing discoloration or staining of the application site.

    The dressings come in a variety of formats including a hydrogel for optimal use in the management of wound types such as pressure ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers, leg ulcers, skin tears, serious burns, grafted wounds and donor sites, surgical wounds, lacerations, and abrasions.

    For more information, visit https://www.medline.com.

New bariatric support surface puts premium on safety

    Span-America’s (Greenville, SC) new PressureGuard® APM Bariatric alternating pressure mattress system is designed to address safety challenges associated with treating bariatric patients.

    The APM Bariatric incorporates several design and safety features found to be popular in post-acute care settings.

    Chief among these is the multicomponent Safety Edge™, a non-collapsing bolster system that provides added stability when transferring patients to and from the mattress.

    The powerful control unit features a low-pressure indicator alarm, adjustable cycle times, and selectable comfort settings. The system will support up to 750 lb. The mattress is available in 42´´, 48´´, and 54´´ widths.

    Please call (800) 888-6752, or visit https://www.spanamerica.com for more information.

Gel heel pillow offers protection and comfort

    The Posey Company (Arcadia, Calif.) announced the release of its new Premium “Gel” Heel Pillow. The machine washable, multipurpose pillow is ideal for treating a variety of heel and foot problems, including skin irritation, heel ulcers, and foot drop. The pillow can be used with individuals in acute care, long-term care, and home care settings.

    The heel pillow is covered in a non-shear polyester fabric that provides a comfortable fit. The hollow core microfiber filling retains its resiliency even after repeated washings; the open heel cutout ensures heel isolation while reducing heat buildup. The removable gel pad fits underneath the calf for hot and cold therapy applications. The pillow is interchangeable and the adjustable straps provide a firm support base to control foot drop.

    For more information, please call 800-44-POSEY or visit https://www.posey.com.

Redesigned website offers nutrition information for clinicians

    Nestle Nutrition (Glendale, Calif.) redesigned its website, Nestle-Nutrition.com, to help healthcare professionals make the most effective nutrition choices for their patients. The new design and navigation allow for easier usability, while features like the Product Comparison Tool, quarterly clinician spotlight, and multiple search options provide clinicians with practical support.

    The Product Comparison Tool allows users to cross-compare the company’s products with competitors and to assess how a specific Nestle product compares with its other product formulas for appropriate product selection. Search criteria have been enhanced to allow users to search by category (tube fed or elemental), clinical specialty (geriatric, pediatrics), or condition/disease, as well as by product name. Clinician interaction is facilitated via both clinician-submitted success stories regarding product use and clinician showcases that highlight their practice and areas of expertise.

    For more information, visit Nestle-Nutrition.com or https://www.nestleusa.com.

Three-year supply contract signed

    Coloplast Corp. Skin Health Division (Marietta, Ga.) has signed a 3-year contract with Novation (Irving, Tex.), the supply company of Voluntary Hospital Association Inc. and the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) for the Coloplast Skin Health Division’s line of Advanced Wound Care Products.
Novation, founded in 1998, is the largest national group purchasing organization in the US and includes 2,400 hospital members representing 386,999 beds, 30% of national admissions, and 29% of surgeries performed in the nation.

    The contract covers Coloplast’s comprehensive line of wound care products and includes Comfeel‚ Hydrocolloid Dressings, Seasorb‚ Alginate Dressings, Biatain‚ Foam Dressings, Woun’Dres‚ Purilon‚ Hydrogel Dressings, SeaClens‚ Wound Cleanser, Contreet‚ Hydrocolloid, and Foam Silver Dressings.

    Please call 800-533-0464 or email usdhk@coloplast.com for more information.

Company awarded for excellence in wound technology

    Frost & Sullivan (San Francisco, Calif.) awarded ConvaTec the 2005 Advanced Wound Management Technology Innovation & Leadership of the Year Award at the Excellence in Medical Devices Awards Banquet held March 16, 2005 in San Francisco, Calif.

    The award was given in recognition of the company’s leadership of the wound management market through consistently innovative products of superior quality.

    The company’s extensive line of wound care products includes DuoDERM dressings, AQUACEL® Hydrofiber® dressings, and Kaltostat® alginate dressings. The newest wound care brands are Versiva® absorbent dressing and AQUACEL® Ag antimicrobial wound dressing for acute and chronic wounds. ConvaTec pioneered the development of patented Hydrofiber® technology, which is the basis for AQUACEL, AQUACEL Ag, and Versiva.

    Frost & Sullivan presented ConvaTec this award based on the company’s focus on providing advanced solutions to create high-quality, sophisticated wound dressings, meeting the needs of physicians and patients.

    Please visit https://www.convatec.com for more information.

Facility’s revised Braden algorithm reduces nosocomial pressure ulcers

    Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center (Camden, NJ) has found success in the mission to reduce hospital-acquired pressure ulcers while updating their wound care program with the help of Premier Health Solutions, LLC (Cherry Hill, NJ).

    Nancy Tomaselli, MSN, RN, CS, CRNP, CWOCN, CLNC, a recognized wound, ostomy, and continence expert with more than 20 years experience, worked with the team to review and update facility policies and procedures regarding the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers. Nancy also mentored Rosemary Kates, RN, CCRN, BSN as she moved into the leadership role as wound, ostomy, and continence nurse for the hospital.

    The team implemented the use of the Braden Risk Assessment Scale to evaluate all patients upon admission to the hospital and every 48 hours thereafter. Nancy revised a Braden algorithm that places a greater focus on the individual subcategories of the Braden scale to ensure patients potentially at a high risk for pressure ulcer development are identified early in the evaluative process.

    The team implemented some best practices such as a wound documentation record for each patient’s chart, a revised wound resource guide for facility-wide use, and a performance improvement tool developed to respond to prevalence study findings. The team also streamlined the wound care product and specialty bed formulary, which reduced supply costs.

    The team works to ensure that patients are placed on the correct surface type and have a turning schedule in place and that staff have products readily available for skin cleansing, moisturizing, and incontinence treatment.

    Quarterly prevalence studies by the team show that the prevention measures implemented by Nancy and the wound care team have steadily reduced the rate of nosocomial pressure ulcers.

    Please visit https://www.premierhealthsolutions.com for more information.