New Products and Industry News

New skin care system combines product lines

   Smith + Nephew's (Largo, Florida) new skin care system, SECURA™, combines the TRIPLE CARE™ and NURSING CARE™ product lines into one new convenient brand. The new line is user-friendly and color-coded to support a four-step, preventive skin care system: cleanse, protect, moisturize, and treat.

   The new system ships to distributors in September 2003.

   For a free sample or more information, please call (800) 876-1261, or visit www.securacare.com.

Antiseptic instant skin sanitizer is multipurpose

   Shepard Medical Products (Elk Grove, Ill.) launched CareMates™ Antiseptic Instant Hand Sanitizer - an instant, waterless alternative to hand washing with soap and water - as part of its infection protection family of products being introduced into the marketplace over the next 2 months. The new hand sanitizer kills 99.9% of the germs and bacteria commonly associated with disease and infection, making it an ideal tool for preventing cross-contamination. The addition of aloe moisturizing ingredients keeps hands moist, preventing dry and cracked skin. The sanitizer features a pleasant citrus scent and its gel liquid leaves no stickiness or residue.

   The product is available in 8-oz and 16-oz bottles and as a 1,000-mL pouch with wall-mounted dispenser.

   For information, please call (800) 354-5683.

Wound filler is "golden"

   southwest technologies (North Kansas City, Mo.) introduces GOLD DUST™, a highly absorbent polymer capable of absorbing 100 times its own weight and retaining the exudate in the matrix even under high pressures. When used as a wound dressing, the product protects wound tissue and the surrounding periwound area from maceration and degradation. Once the granules interact with wound exudate, the powder turns into a gel. The product should primarily be used to manage heavy drainage.

   For additional information and/or sample, please call (800) 247-9951 or visit www.elastogel.com.

New lectureship established

   The Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society has created a new annual lectureship to acknowledge expertise and significant contributions to the field of urinary incontinence. The award honors Thelma J. Wells who is nationally and internationally known for her expertise in gerontological nursing. As the inaugural speaker at the Thelma J. Wells lecture and award ceremony at the 35th WOCN Society Annual Conference, she discussed her journey of discovery as a researcher and provided personal insights and critical analysis of the state of knowledge in urinary incontinence in older adults. She was one of the first researchers to explore the field in the early 1980s, driven by a desire to understand what causes the bladder to leak and how to prevent it from happening. 

Symposia address advanced wound care

   HEALTHPOINT (Ft. Worth, Tex.) created "Putting It Together: The Elements of Advanced Wound Care," to meet the needs of clinicians practicing advanced wound care in a variety of practice settings. The program provides practitioners with up-to-date, evidence-based information on current trends, cutting-edge approaches, and innovations in the evolving field of wound management. Two variations of the program are available: a comprehensive, detailed version designed specifically for nurses (2.5 hours long, 3.6 CE hours) and a condensed version for physicians (50 minutes long, 1.0 CME credits). Nurses also may attend the condensed program for 1.0 CE.

   Among the program objectives are: identifying factors and diseases that negatively impact wound healing; discussing wound etiologies, describing the three factors of wound healing; preparing the patient for wound healing using management priorities; and comparing topical treatment options for necrotic, granular, and infected wounds.

   The symposia began in August. The CME program will be presented on September 18 (Milwaukee, Wis.), and the CE program will be presented on September 25 (Houston, Tex.), October 2 (Fort Wayne, Ind.), October 8 (Oklahoma City, Okla.), October 9 (St. Louis, Mo.), and October 23 (Elizabeth, Ind.).

   For additional details, please call (800) 441-8227 or visit www.healthpoint.com.