Product News March 2010

Carolon Begins New Partnership with sorbion AG

     Carolon (Rural Hall, NC) has recently forged a partnership with sorbion AG (Germany) to act as the exclusive distributor for the sorbion sachet S in the United States. The sorbion sachet S is indicated as a primary dressing for moderate to highly exuding wounds. The dressing utilizes a revolutionary new concept known as Hydration Response Technology. This technology combines physically modified cellulose fibers with gelling agents. The unique interaction of these two components assures an active regulation of the wound climate.      The dressing is superlative in its ability to vertically draw exudate from the wound and prevent maceration of the periwound skin. Sequestering exudate in the core of the dressing, which reduces odor, the dressing also helps manage bioburden while reducing the risk of cross contamination and facilitates soft debridement. Soft debridement refers to the removal of slough and toxins from the wound bed while reducing dressing change frequency and mitigating pain associated with dressing removal.      Visit www.carolon.com for more information.

New Collagen Gel Prevents Leg Amputation

     Dr. Anathram Shetty, an orthopaedic surgeon based in England, recently performed a surgical first to save a climber’s leg using a groundbreaking technique combining collagen gel and stem cells that fuse bone together. Dr. Shetty recently used the new technique on a patient who broke his leg and traditional surgery failed to reverse the damage. In April 2009, the patient was warned that due to the severity of a prior injury in which his right leg was broken in five places, he faced amputation. His tibia had broken through the skin above his ankle and he was taken to the Cumberland Infirmary (Carlisle, Cumbria) where he underwent three operations to pin his bones back into place. The wounds became seriously infected and he was transferred to the Spire Alexandra Hospital (United Kingdom). Surgeons warned that he was likely to lose his leg unless they performed the new procedure.      Stem cells from the patient’s hip bone marrow were mixed with the collagen gel (Surgifill) to make a paste, which was smeared into the fractures. The operating doctors finally fixed his leg in a metal cage to gently squeeze the bones together. The cage was removed 6 months after the Surgifill procedure. Surgifill and Cartifill is a gel procedure used to repair knee cartilage that were developed by orthopaedic surgeon Professor Seok-jung Kim, Director of Regenerative Medical System, a South Korean bio-medical company in partnership with the UK’s Spire Healthcare. The minimally invasive cartilage technique is a one-stage day case procedure with a recovery time of up to 6 weeks, compared to alternative treatments.      Visit www.rmsbio.net for more information.