New Products and Industry News

Diabetes patient education site launched

   ECRI (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.) launched the Sharon H. Limaye Center for Diabetes Technology Assessment and Patient Education website (www.ecri.org/limaye). Designed for use by people with diabetes and their families, the site provides technology-related information from analyses of diabetes technologies performed by ECRI's scientists, engineers, and clinical experts. Hospitals and healthcare providers typically use the information to make decisions about the appropriate use of drugs and medical devices relevant to diabetes. Now patients also can access this information.

   For more information, call (610) 825-6000, ext. 5416 or email limaye@ecri.org.

Surgical tape products designed for ease of use

   Oxboro Medical/ Sterion, Inc. (Minneapolis, Minn.), a manufacturer of single-use medical supplies, recently introduced two new surgical tape products. DuoPlas™ Double Adhesive Surgical Tapes are hypoallergenic, low profile, and conform to irregular surfaces. The tapes were developed for use in configuring drapes, pouching, custom design aperture needs, and to temporarily secure small devices. They are latex-free with double adhesive to reduce the amount of tape needed per configuration. The tapes are available sterile or nonsterile.

   Sterion® Surgical Tape Strips offer convenience and easy delivery. Created for gloved-hand use, they were designed specifically for applications where sterility is a concern, particularly wound care management. The surgical tape strips are available in Elastelle™ soft elastic, Genttelle™ porous paper, Lucelle™ transparent paper, and Silkelle™ silky ribbon tape materials. The product and packaging are hypoallergenic and latex-free. 

Warming pouches increase efficiency and patient comfort

   Precision Dynamics Corporation (San Fernando, Calif.) introduced Securline™ Redi+Wash Thermal Warming Pouch. The product maintains the warmth of preheated Redi+Wash packages until time of use.
The Redi+Wash total body cleansing system contains soft cloths saturated with a no-rinse cleanser and moisturizing lotion for a one-step cleansing process. The new warming pouch increases efficiency and patient comfort by decreasing the need to reheat packages. Each pouch can hold up to four, preheated, eight-cloth packs at one time. The pouch itself should not be heated and is not intended to heat the Red+Wash packs; instead, it maintains the warmth of the preheated packs for approximately 1 hour and keeps the packages above room temperature for several hours. Constructed of a vinyl outer layer with foam insulation, the pouch is light, portable, and features a zip-loc closure. 

Skin products to be launched

   LAM Pharmaceutical Corporation (Lewiston, NY) will launch LAM Extreme Dry Skin Formula in early 2003. The product was developed to address symptoms of eczema that cause extremely dry skin; symptoms of dermatitis that cause severe dry skin and itching; aging skin where dryness often causes premature appearance of overall aging with lines and discoloration; and the effects of wind, severe cold weather, and sun on sensitive skin. The technology is based on Ionic Polymer Matrix™ technology, a patented combination of electrically charged and noncharged molecules with wound healing properties. The main ingredient is a derivative of hyaluronic acid. A sampling program will begin in the summer of 2002.

   For more information, call (800) 772-1122 or visit www.pdcorp.com.

Orthotics offer support and reduce shock loads

   Silipos (Niagara Falls, NY) designers of Wonderzorb, a line of soft premolded orthotics, has two durometers of proprietary silicone to improve symptom relief of tissue complications such as bursitis, plantar fasciitis, pressure ulcers, and Achilles tendonitis, as well as sensitive areas and heel spurs.

   Wonderzorb provides support and absorption and does not bottom out under loads. The orthotics are hypoallergenic, fully washable, and guaranteed for 1 year. They reduce shock by providing improved distribution of pressure to the feet, knees, and back.

   The product packaging also has been redesigned for better storage and display. For more information, call (800) 229-4404 or visit www.silipos.com.

Nursing school partners with wound care manufacturers

   The Yale School of Nursing (New Haven, Conn.) is partnering with Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation and ConvaTec (Princeton, NJ) to develop the Program for the Advancement of Chronic Wound Care. The first of its kind for wound care, the program will address an unmet need in the rapidly growing older adult population -- the group most at risk for developing chronic wounds. The program also will provide statistical proof of the best protocols of chronic wound care from clinical and economic perspectives and is expected to be influential in driving policymakers to adopt those protocols to benefit patients and reduce cost of care.

   One of the first initiatives of the program will be to invite three major academic centers in diverse geographic locations in the United States to participate in a 1-year, 600-subject prospective study on best protocols of care for chronic wounds. Senior investigators from participating centers will gather major literature on best practices and design the study to compare these protocols to current practice.

Surgical dressing and sponges agreement signed

   Medline Industries (Mundelein, Ill.) signed a 5-year agreement with AMD-Ritmed, Inc. (Montreal, Canada) to be the exclusive distributor of specialty surgical dressings and sponges in the United States. Existing customers may purchase through either party; new customers will purchase directly from Medline. Some of the products in the agreement are neurological sponges, peanut sponges, dissector sponges, tonsil sponges, and ophthalmic sponges. The specialty surgical dressings are available strung or nonstrung, mounted on count cards or in bulk, X-ray detectable or non-X-ray detectable, and sterile or nonsterile.

   For more information, call (847) 949-3011 or visit www.medline.com.

Distribution agreement signed for emergency medical products

   Medafor, Inc. (Minneapolis, Minn.), manufacturer of advanced hemostasis and wound management technology, signed an agreement with Wisconsin-based Emergency Medical Products, Inc. According to the contract, Emergency Medical Products will sell Medafor?s Hemade™ technology under the trade name TraumaDEX™ to emergency service agencies and fire departments throughout the United States. TraumaDE™, a biopolymeric, microporous powder that produces rapid hemostasis, recently was granted FDA approval for use by doctors and medical services personnel in the temporary control of severe bleeding.

   For more information, call (763) 571-6300 or email Robert Cerza, Executive Vice President of Business Development for Medafor, at cerza@medaforinc.com.appeal.

FDA approves adhesive to seal out bacteria

   Ethicon Products (Somerville, NJ ) announced that Dermabond Topical Skin Adhesive (2-octyl cyanoacrylate), a liquid topical skin adhesive used to close surgical incisions and traumatic lacerations without stitches or staples, can act as a barrier against bacterial microbes, sealing out the most common infection-causing bacteria. The adhesive acts as a barrier to microbial penetration as long as the adhesive film remains intact, according to new labeling approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In vitro studies showed the product to be 99% effective in protecting against Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterococcus faecium. Product labeling has been changed to include information about its ability to act as a microbial barrier.

   Visit www.DERMABOND.com for more information.