Chronic Wound Care, Third Edition “Highly Recommended” by NADONA
The National Association of Directors of Nursing Administration (NADONA) recently reviewed Chronic Wound Care: A Clinical Source Book for Healthcare Professionals, Third Edition (CWC), and highly recommended it to DONs. NADONA’s review was published in the Vol. 10, No. 1, 2002, edition of its official newsletter, The Director. The review describes CWC as, “the most comprehensive text available to those involved in care of patients afflicted with skin and wound problems. An outstanding value, a must for the DON’s library. Highly recommended by NADONA.” CWC, published by HMP Communications, is edited by Drs. Diane Krasner, George Rodeheaver, and Gary Sibbald. This instructive book contains 71 chapters by 110 contributors from around the world and is 782 pages in length. Each chapter begins with objectives and a case vignette and concludes with a case vignette wrap-up and questions with answers. The book also includes a foreword, an introductory chapter on advanced wound healing by the editors, and a conclusion. CWC is an ideal teaching tool for groups or individuals, and contains a full-color section of demonstrative clinical photographs. For a complete brochure or to place an order, contact HMP at: Phone (800) 237-7285 or (610) 560-0500, ext. 221, Fax (610) 560-0501, HMP Communications, 83 General Warren Blvd, Suite 100, Malvern, PA 19355, www.hmpcommunications.com. Available in hard bound ($99.95) and soft bound ($79.95).

Polyheal Initiates Wound Healing Clinical Study for Treatment of Ulcers in Diabetic Patients
Polyheal Ltd. announced initiation of a clinical study of Polyheal 1 for the treatment of chronic foot ulcers in diabetic neuropathic patients. It is anticipated that the treatment using Polyheal 1 will prove the device’s safety, reduce the healing time, and increase the healing rate of these ulcers in comparison to current therapies. The multicenter, double-blinded study is expected to enroll 60 patients with diabetic neuropathic foot ulcers. The study includes three arms: patients will be treated with one of two regimens of Polyheal 1 or with a placebo. Patients will receive the device therapy for up to 12 weeks in out-patient clinics. Clinical data regarding the device’s safety as well as its efficacy will be measured by the length of time to wound closure. Polyheal 1 is a device that consists of synthetic microspheres suspended in an aqueous nutrient medium. The device is capable of forming multipoint contact with the cellular membrane and promotes the complex process of wound healing. The device was discovered and developed using Polyheal’s core proprietary technology for using synthetic microspheres to induce and facilitate wound healing and tissue regeneration. The technology works without the addition of any pharmacologically active material. For more information visit www.polyheal.co.il or contact: Dr. Menachem Ze’evi, Chief Executive Officer, Phone 011-972-4-820-7917, Fax: 011-972-4-820-7919.

Regent Medical to Market Leading Antiseptic Solutions
Regent Medical recently acquired HIBICLENS® brand of antiseptic/antimicrobial skin cleansers. HIBICLENS contains chlorhexidine gluconate and is an effective antimicrobial agent with rapid bactericidal activity against a wide range of microorganisms, including gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. HIBICLENS can be used many times a day without causing dryness or discomfort. Indications for use include surgical hand scrub, preoperative whole body wash, and general skin cleansers. For more information, call (800) 843-8497.

The ROHO Group Introduces the Quadtro® Select Cushion
The Quadtro Select Cushion with Isoflo™ Control by The ROHO Group is an innovative progressive positioning system designed to provide exceptional stability and adjustment capabilities to the clinician and the user. The Quadtro Select is the premier cushioning product for those individuals who are in need of a cushion and offers skin protection, stability, and positioning for postural support and increased function. With the Isoflo Control, the Quadtro Select is a seating system that can be locked into position easily and quickly, achieving air-in-place positioning, which effectively addresses the seating and positioning needs of the user. The Quadtro Select can be adjusted over time to correct, counteract, or fine tune seating or stability problems associated with a variety of deformities or disabilities. For additional information on the Quadtro Select cushion, please call (800) 851-3449, (618) 277-9150, or visit ROHO online at www.throhogroup.com.

Measure Oxygen Consumption for Accurate Nutritional Assessment
MedGem™ is a hand-held, portable, indirect calorimeter intended for use in clinical and research applications to measure oxygen uptake. The MedGem device accurately measures respiratory airflow and oxygen uptake (also referred to as oxygen consumption, VO2) and determines resting metabolic rate (RMR), the number of calories a person burns per day at rest. Nutrition monitoring is a vital component of every facet of healthcare, including the care of patients with diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and obesity, as well as conditions that place patients at risk for malnutrition, such as cancer, burns, trauma, infection, obstructive lung disease (asthma and emphysema), and HIV, among others. Indications for MedGem include diseases and conditions where patients may be at risk for malnutrition; burns; trauma; weight management; postoperative patients; infection; and cancer. For more information, call (800) 345-4207.

FDA Approves Dermabond Surgical Glue as Antibacterial Aid
The FDA has approved the use of Dermabond, a glue designed to close surgical cuts without stitches, to keep bacteria out of wounds. ETHICON Products (division of Johnson & Johnson) said the FDA approved new labeling that says the glue keeps out bacteria so long as it is intact. Ethicon said Dermabond seals out infection-causing bacteria that include certain staphylococcus, pseudomonas, and enterococci. “For trauma and post-surgical patients, infections are often the most common, and in some cases, the most serious complications,” Dr. Ronald Lee Nichols of Tulane University in New Orleans, who helped test Dermabond, said in a statement. “Doctors are looking for ways to help people heal more comfortably and completely, and the bacteria-blocking properties of Dermabond adhesive clearly may assist in the recovery of their patients.” Dermabond is made by Raleigh, North Carolina-based Closure Medical and distributed by ETHICON.

The American Diabetes Association Hails the Diabetic Prevention Program as a Landmark Trial with Dramatic Implications for People at Risk for Type II Diabetes
The results of the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), as reported in the February 7, 2002, edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, conclusively show that type II diabetes can be prevented or significantly delayed in onset. The study demonstrated that two different approaches—diet and exercise therapy and the administration of a diabetes medication, metformin—were both effective, with the lifestyle intervention especially so. Particularly encouraging is the fact that both the lifestyle and medication interventions works in Caucasians, African Americans, Latinos, American Indians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders. The DPP is the first study to demonstrate that prevention strategies can work across the broad spectrum of racial and ethnic diversity that is the face of the American public and of type II diabetes. It is also encouraging that among the study’s subgroup of adults older than age 60, the lifestyle intervention of modifications to diet and increased physical activity worked better than in any other subgroup. The American Diabetes Association is the nation’s leading voluntary health organization supporting diabetes research, information, and advocacy. The Association’s mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. Founded in 1940, the Association supports local offices in every region of the country and operates a comprehensive Website at www.diabetes.org and a toll-free information line at (800) DIABETES (800-342-2383).

Seventy-One Percent of Patients Treated with OrCel Achieve 100-Percent Wound Closure in Ortec’s Venous Ulcer Trial
Ortec International, a tissue engineering company, announced recently the results of a six-month follow up of all 36 patients enrolled in its venous ulcer pilot trial completed in August, 2000. The results, which were submitted in a final report to the FDA in February, 2002, show that 71 percent of the patients treated with a nonfrozen version of OrCel™ achieved 100-percent wound closure in comparison to 37 percent for the control group, representing a 92-percent improvement using OrCel in the treatment of hard-to-heal ulcers over standard-of-care therapy. In addition, the rate of wound closure for the OrCel-treated group was double that of the control group, and the OrCel-treated group consistently required fewer days to heal. The pilot study, from which this data was generated, was a 36-patient, eight-center, controlled study. Patients treated were prescreened to ensure inclusion of only hard-to-heal ulcers. Those ulcers that responded to standard-of-care therapy by closing more than 30 percent after two weeks of treatment were excluded from the study. The median size of the ulcers treated for both the OrCel and control groups was 4.5cm2 with the median age of the ulcers being nine months for the OrCel group and ten months for the control group. For more information, visit Ortec’s Website at www.ortecinternational.com.

OASIS® Wound Dressing Recognized by the American Podiatric Medical Association
Oasis® Wound Dressing from Cook® has been recognized by the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) as meeting the standards for the association’s coveted Seal of Approval. Oasis, a natural extracellular matrix (ECM) used to manage slow healing wounds on the feet and other areas by providing an environment that allows the body to heal itself, is produced by Cook Biotech Inc., and sold through Cook Urological’s Wound/Ostomy/Continence division. “Receiving the APMA Seal of Approval is a clear indication that Oasis is making a positive impact on the management of lower-extremity wounds,” said Chuck Franz, president of Cook Urological. “Oasis offers a simple, effective solution at a reasonable price that can be successfully applied to the most complex diabetic, venous, or pressure wounds.” Cook Biotech is actively developing ECM and scaffold-based technologies for numerous medical purposes. Medical products utilizing Cook’s patented ECM technology are currently marketed for use as a wound dressing or to surgically repair soft tissues worldwide by the Cook companies.
For more information, call (765) 497-3355, ext. 28, or e-mail milks@cookbiotech.com.

Augustine Medical to Work with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Augustine Medical Inc. has accepted an offer from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to assist in the design of research relating to Augustine Medical’s Warm-Up wound therapy. CMS recently outlined the research they would like to see for this product, stating, “We would be happy to work with the requester in designing such a trial...” “This is a great opportunity for Augustine Medical,” said Paul Johnson, director of reimbursement. “We appreciate that CMS is willing to spend the time to help us with the design of our research.” Johnson indicated great optimism that, once such research is complete, full reimbursement will follow. This offer came as CMS denied Augustine Medical’s request that CMS pay directly for Warm-Up therapy when the product is sold through providers of durable medical equipment. The agency stated that it did not feel that the research provided by the company sufficiently supported the request. Simultaneously, however, CMS confirmed that providers may use Warm-Up therapy in all Prospective Payment System (PPS) settings. Moreover, the cost of Warm-Up therapy can be included in the provider’s overhead where CMS is paying a prospective rate. Warm-Up therapy is the only noncontact, normothermic wound care system available today. The system consists of a sterile wound cover, an infrared warming card, and a battery-operated controller that delivers regulated warmth to the wound. For more information, see www.warm-up.com.

J & J Medical’s General Wound Care Franchise Transfers to ETHICON
Johnson & Johnson announced recently the transfer of the General Wound Care franchise from Johnson & Johnson Medical, based in Arlington, Texas, to the newly formed Johnson & Johnson Wound Management business unit of ETHICON in Somerville, New Jersey. The transfer, which was to take place in November of 2001, will better meet the needs of customers by providing a single source for Johnson & Johnson wound care products and services that serve the full continuum of care. The new Johnson & Johnson Wound Management business unit will focus on two key areas: surgical wound care and chronic wound care. The consolidation of several product lines brings together in one Johnson & Johnson company a complete line of products to meet all of the wound care needs of healthcare professionals. The franchise will offer advanced wound care dressings for chronic wound care (Tielle/Tielle Plus Hydropolymer Adhesive Dressings and Fibracol Plus Collagen Wound Dressing with Alginate); general wound care dressings, sponges, bandages, and tapes for acute wound care (Band-Aid® Brand adhesive bandages); dermal regeneration options for burn care (Integra Dermal Regeneration Template); and hemostasis products to stem the flow of blood in surgery (Surgical Absorbable Hemostat). For further information about advanced and general wound care products, please visit www.advancedwoundcare.com. For information about ETHICON and its products, visit www.ethiconinc.com.