New Products and Industry News

Spiracur Launches NPWT Website

  Spiracur Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, recently released an enhanced website featuring patient-friendly animation to help demonstrate the benefits of its SNaP® Wound Care System for treatment of chronic and acute wounds.   According to company officials, the site is navigation-friendly and presents information about Spiracur’s negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) solution through training videos, personal patient success stories, clinical data, application guidelines for patients and caregivers, and an animation short movie.    “We’re excited to launch our newly designed website featuring an easy-flow format and the latest in animation technology,” said Linda LaMagna, vice president of global marketing and strategic planning at Spiracur. “The website enables patients and clinicians alike to easily find information they’re looking for with regard to the SNaP System and wound healing solutions. It is our primary goal to make a positive difference in a patient’s quality of life throughout the wound healing process.”   The four-minute animated short tells the story of Charlie, a 71-year-old war veteran who lives with diabetes.

SAWC Spotlight: ConvaTec Donates $10K To AAWC Wellness Walk

  Officials at ConvaTec, a global developer and marketer of medical technologies for community and hospital care based in Skillman, NJ, have announced a $10,000 donation to the Association for the Advancement of Wound Care’s (AAWC) “Global Volunteers” program through the SAWC Walk for Wellness that took place at the 25th Annual Symposium on Advanced Wound Care and Wound Healing Society (SAWC/WHS) in Atlanta April 19-22.   Conference participants were provided with pedometers that counted each step they took during the conference to raise money for AAWC. They were also encouraged to engage in physical activity while connecting with other wound care professionals. At the end of each day, participants logged the number of steps they walked and could monitor their personal standing.   According to officials, the Walk for Wellness helped raise awareness of the AAWC volunteer program and the need for ongoing education and training programs to promote access to proper wound treatment for the underserved in developing countries and North America.    “For the second year in a row, ConvaTec is supporting the important work of the AAWC Global Volunteers through the efforts of so many clinicians and nurses who joined in the SAWC Walk for Wellness fundraising effort,” said Terry Treadwell, MD, FACS, AAWC past president. “These funds will help us to continue to provide professional education programs in the areas of the world where they are most needed.”   AAWC Global Volunteers is an initiative supported by the volunteer leadership of AAWC members, in partnership with Health Volunteers Overseas, that seeks to bring the science of wound care to the underserved in developing countries and North America.    “We are very pleased that so many of the men and women who attended SAWC/WHS participated in the Walk for Wellness again this year to help raise money to support the AAWC Global Alliance,” said Brad Barton, president of ConvaTec US. “The AAWC Global Volunteers program plays a vital role in expanding access to education and training for local healthcare professionals. We are honored to be able to support their work once again this year.”

Wound Care Center Names New Medical Director

  John Glenn, MD, has been appointed medical director of the Bayhealth Wound Care Center, Dover, DE.   Glenn is board certified in thoracic and vascular surgery and has nearly four decades of medical experience, according to Bayhealth Wound Care Center officials.   Glenn also serves with Eden Hill Medical Surgical Group and is medical director of the ICU at Bayhealth–Kent General Hospital, both of which are also located in Dover.   In his new position, Glenn will oversee the wound care center.

Wound Healing Center Earns National Recognition

  Carondelet St. Mary’s Wound Healing Center, Tucson, AZ, is being recognized by the National Healing Corp. (NHC) for maximizing its resources to meet the growing needs of its community.   Part of a nationwide network of researchers and specialists reporting patient outcomes to the NHC, now Healogics Inc., reportedly the nation’s largest provider of managed and outsourced wound healing centers, St. Mary’s offers advanced treatments including hyperbarics, negative pressure wound therapy, bio-engineered skin substitutes, biological and biosynthetic dressings, and growth-factor therapies, officials said.    “Our patients have benefited from the extensive data and information available to the wound healing center physicians and nurses,” said Jennifer Biggs, RN, senior director of nursing at St. Mary’s.   Headquartered in Jacksonville, FL, the NHC manages more than 500 wound care centers in more than 10 percent of the hospitals in the US.

PRESCRIPTION POINTER: FDA Issues Warning for Diabetics

  FDA officials are alerting healthcare professionals of a possible risk when using blood pressure medications containing aliskiren with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) in patients living with diabetes or renal impairment.   According to the FDA, these drug combinations should not be used in patients with diabetes. Additionally, the FDA urges clinicians to avoid use of aliskiren with ARBs or ACEIs in patients with moderate to severe renal impairment (ie, where glomerular filtration rate is Carolina Wound Center Earns Another Award   Scotland Wound Healing Center, Laurinburg, NC, has been named the winner of the Front Runners Award by Healogics Inc. (Jacksonville, FL), formerly National Healing Corp. It’s the second consecutive year that Scotland has earned the honor, which recognizes proactive initiatives in healthcare.   Dana Peiko, area vice president with Healogics, recently presented staff at Scotland with a plaque to commemorate the award. In 2010, the center was recognized as the New Center of the Year by the National Healing Corp., giving the facility an award from the organization in each of the three years that it’s been providing care.    “This is a testament to the excellent care you provide here, and we at Healogics congratulate you on receiving this honor,” Peiko said during the award ceremony.   Likely candidates for treatment at Scotland Wound Healing Center are those suffering from diabetic or pressure ulcers, infections, compromised skin grafts and flaps, and wounds that haven’t healed within 30 days, according to officials. Brian Parkes, MD, medical director, said, “The community has been very supportive of the center. Some patients, upon completing treatment, have shared their success story with us and become a part of Scotland Health Care System’s ‘Believer’ marketing campaign.”