New Products and Industry News December

Device treats diabetes-associated foot and leg pain

     Anodyne Therapy (Tampa, FL), recently launched Anodyne® Freedom 300, the company’s newest product designed to allow patients to affordably and effectively treat foot and leg pain associated with diabetes. Utilizing cutting-edge technology, the device is particularly effective for patients whose pain is associated with impaired circulation to the feet and legs. The company will donate proceeds from the sales of this product to two international charities supporting people with diabetes — Wound Care Haiti and the IDF’s Life For a Child. Wound Care Haiti’s mission is to establish a limb amputation prevention program in Haiti by providing preventative foot care, supplies, and education to the country’s diabetic population. The IDF’s Life for a Child program supports children suffering with diabetes globally by providing appropriate medical supplies and education.

   For more information, visit www.anodynetherapy.com.

Mattress provides lateral rotation therapy with minimal exertion

     Gaymar Industries (Orchard Park, NY) introduces the Plexus® TruTurn® Therapeutic Mattress, a deep-cell, low-air-loss mattress designed to supply effective lateral rotation therapy for patients while reducing physical demands on caregivers. The mattress provides effective therapy for the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers through independently controlled deep air cells configured in a modular design. Using Active Sensor Technology®, each cell continuously monitors the patient’s position and makes the adjustments needed to restore the optimal level of support, eliminating the need for hand checks and manual adjustments. With the ability to turn patients up to 40°, the mattress can be programmed to provide continual lateral rotation therapy that prevents and treats pressure ulcers, in addition to helping prevent complications associated with immobility. The mattress also offers low-air-loss to help prevent skin maceration by managing microclimate and wicking away moisture.

   For more information, visit www.gaymar.com.

Antiseptic handwash now available to public consumers

     Healthpoint (Fort Worth, TX) announced it will begin selling its Ultracept Antiseptic Handwash to consumers online and plans to get the product into drugstores during the first half of next year. The US surgical market for hand sanitizers is estimated to yield $30 million annually, but the consumer market is as much as $500 million this year owing to concerns about H1N1 flu, as well as food-borne illnesses such as E. coli and salmonella. The handwash lasts up to 6 hours as a result of high alcohol content and antimicrobial preservatives that bind to the skin. The company reports that typical consumer hand sanitizers stop killing germs within minutes of application. The company believes their product has a longer-lasting effect.

   For more information, visit www.ultracept.com.

Clinical results for wound therapy revealed

     PuriCore (Stafford, England) revealed results of a randomized clinical trial showing the potential effectiveness of its Vashe® Wound Therapy in the postoperative care of split-thickness skin grafts for burn injuries. The therapy is provided via a medical device that produces a biocompatible solution to enhance the clinical management of acute and chronic wounds; it has been used successfully and without report of adverse events in more than 100,000 wound treatments. It is a safe, effective, and economical alternative to commonly used wound irrigating solutions that inhibit wound healing.

     The clinical trial was conducted by Kevin Foster, MD, MBA, FACS, Co-Director of the Arizona Burn Center, Maricopa Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ. Results showed that the wound therapy is as effective as the control, 5% mafenide acetate solution, USP (Sulfamylon®), a synthetic antimicrobial agent, in the postoperative care of grafts for burns, and potentially provides greater pain control. The average graft take for the wound therapy and 5% mafenide acetate was 97.4% and 96%, respectively.

     Infection rates during the trial were equivalent and none were attributable to the therapy. Further, the trials showed the therapy demonstrated a greater than 50% cost savings compared with 5% mafenide acetate. The therapy demonstrates clinical efficacy for postoperative skin graft irrigation while offering significant overall cost savings.

  For more information, visit www.puricore.com.

Company announces final approval to enter foreign market

     Kinetic Concepts Inc (San Antonio, TX) recently announced that the Ministry of Health Labor and Welfare (MHLW) in Japan has granted final regulatory approval for the company to market and sell its V.A.C.® Therapy System in the country. Japan has a deep heritage of providing outstanding medical care and the professionals of KCI are pleased to have the opportunity to serve this unmet medical need within Japan for difficult-to-heal wounds. Reimbursement applications have been submitted following regulatory approval. Operational preparations such as employee hiring are underway for a commercial launch at the time of reimbursement approval. The company anticipates reimbursement approval in the first half of 2010.

   For more information, visit www.kci1.com.

This article was not subject to the Ostomy Wound Management peer-review process.