New Products and Industry News

Acrylic dressing optimizes clinical performance and wear time

    3M™Health Care (St. Paul, Minn.) recently developed Tegaderm™ Absorbent Clear Acrylic Dressing to enable easier wound monitoring and to offer the absorbency necessary to improve fluid management. The dressing is designed for use on partial- and full-thickness dermal ulcers (pressure ulcers, skin tears, abrasions, and superficial wounds, donor sites, and superficial partial-thickness burns).

Constructed of a breathable transparent dressing film top layer and a perforated moist skin adhesive bottom later that together enclose a proprietary acrylic polymer, the dressing may eliminate unnecessary dressing changes; provide an effective barrier to outside contaminants such as fluid, bacteria, and viruses (including HIV-1 and HBV); and provide a comfortable alternative for the patient because the dressing requires less manipulation.

    The dressing comes in five practical sizes in oval and square shapes and is washable, hypoallergenic, and latex-free.

    For more information, please visit https://www.3M.com/tegaderm.

Healthpoint ranked one of top ten pharmaceutical companies

    Healthpoint Ltd. (Fort Worth, Tex.) was listed among the top ten pharmaceutical companies best able to serve the overall long-term care (LTC) industry. The ranking was announced by Verispan Ltd, a provider of patient-centric longitudinal data.

    This is Healthpoint’s first top 10 appearance on this prestigious list, which is based on the responses of LTC pharmacy providers and consultants in a Nursing Home Pharmacy Provider/Consultant Promotional Audit that took place during the audit cycle in the fall of 2004. These providers and consultants represent a majority of the LTC pharmacists serving nursing home and assisted-living beds in the US. The company’s efforts in four areas (contracts, value-added services, account personnel and corporate approach) were acknowledged.

    Current efforts at the company are directed toward chronic wounds such as pressure, venous, and diabetic ulcers; and associated skin conditions like periwound dermatitis, incontinence-related skin problems, and maceration. The company markets prescription drugs for skin and soft tissue, including those for the treatment of compromised tissue such as full- and partial-thickness wounds, as well as products for the management of intact skin.

    In addition to Healthpoint, the Verispan list includes Johnson & Johnson; Forest Laboratories, Inc.; Pfizer Inc.; Abbott Laboratories; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; Amgen Inc.; Boehringer Ingelheim; AstraZeneca; and Akzo Nobel.

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

Online reporting tool launched

    Medline Industries (Mundelein, Ill) is launching “Medline Insight,” a new online reporting tool that can help hospitals, health systems, and nursing homes easily track their supply chain activity with Medline.

    The online tool provides a wealth of valuable information in a simple, self-service reporting style.

    Popular reports include:
  • Descending Dollar Report
  • Invoice Summary and Detail Reports
  • Order Channel Utilization
  • Sales by Manufacturer
  • Usage by Ship-To Location
  • Prime Vendor Implementation Status

    Long-term care facilities also will appreciate the budgeting tool. The program allows a budget to be created based on the customer’s general ledger codes (eg, for linens, incontinence, and other products and services). Reports show how budget numbers compare to actual purchasing, including per patient day calculations.

    The program also offers a scheduling tool that can be set to run any report at any time on a continual basis. The system will the send an email report to the user, available in a variety of formats including PDF, Microsoft® Excel spreadsheets, Word documents, and others.

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

Company awarded for excellence in entrepreneurship

    Frost & Sullivan (San Francisco, Calif) recognized Care-Tech® Laboratories, Inc. with the 2005 Medical Devices Entrepreneurial Company of the Year Award at the Excellence in Medical Devices Awards Banquet. held February 23, 2005 in San Francisco, Calif.

    The company received the award for its sound and innovative product range, which covers segments including operating room, wound care, physical therapy, bariatric medicine, environmental disinfection, and veterinary medicine.

    The company, seeing that traditional antibiotics and antimicrobial formulations have high failure rates in the treatment and prevention of topical infection, invested considerable resources in the creation of infection control products to remedy this situation. The products have been developed mainly to relieve gross contamination and prevent topical and nosocomial infection.

    Techni-Care® antiseptic can be used in a wide range of applications from wound care to pre-operative preparation. It also has proven effective for veterinary procedures. It comes as a highly concentrated solution, and is priced nearly 30% to 40% lower than other products in the market.

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

Long-term product provider adds suspension boots to its line

    DM Systems, Inc. (Evanston, Ill.) announced that McKesson Corporation added Heelift® and Heelift® Smooth Suspension Boots to its McKesson acute care and McKesson-Redline long-term care product lines.

    These products are effective in the treatment and prevention of heel pressure ulcers. Heelift® eliminates pressure from the heel using an elevation pad and suspending the heel in protective space. Pressure is transferred from the heel to the lower leg. This product can be used with immobile and postoperative patients and patients with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or dietary deficiencies. It also can help in cases of foot drop, flaccid paralysis (nonspastic), and pre- and postoperative hip fractures and skin grafts.

    Other products from DM Systems include Elbowlift® Suspension Pad, Heelift® Traction Boot, CastWalker® Cast Sole, GaitKeeper® Cast Shoe, CastWedge® Cast Adjuster, Adjusticizer™ Exercise System, Cadlow™ Shoulder Stabilizer, and AnkleTough® Rehab System.

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

Hydrogel dressings reformulated and repackaged

    Hollister Incorporated (Libertyville, Ill.) has reformulated Restore® Hydrogel Wound Dressings. The dressings are now free of animal derivatives, nut oils, fragrance, and botanical extracts to help minimize potential for allergic reactions.

    The dressings promote a moist environment in a variety of wounds, including Stage I through Stage IV pressure ulcers, diabetic skin ulcers, venous ulcers, first- and second-degree burns, skin tears, cuts, abrasions, and conditions associated with peristomal care. Hydrogels are non-greasy, non-staining, and fragrance-free.

    The company increased the length of the gauze strip to 3.5 yd from the original 2.5 yd. The dressings now are available as a 4 inch x 4 inch sterile gauze sponge, a 2 inch by 3.5 yd sterile gauze strip, and an amorphous gel.

    For additional information, visit https://www.hollister.com.

New web-based portal offers interactive, fully accredited courses for wound care clinicians

    Healthpoint (Fort Worth, Tex.) announced at the 18th annual Symposium on Advanced Wound Care and Medical Research Forum on Wound Repair the launch of TheWoundInstitute.com, an online source for accredited wound care education designed for both physicians and non-physician clinicians. The site was developed to accommodate the educational preferences and workplace demands of healthcare professionals by allowing clinicians to complete courses at their own pace and register, test and receive CE or CME credits instantly for their course work.

    TheWoundInstitute.com (https://www.thewoundinstitute.com) features comprehensive, research-based courses designed to assist healthcare providers in bridging the gap between knowledge and practice. The site currently features six courses that provide basic wound care information to practicing clinicians and will continue to expand its educational offerings in 2005 with courses designed specifically for physicians and advanced-practice clinicians.

    For more information about the full range of the company’s continuing education programs, visit https://www.healthpoint.com.