Coloplast Skin Health Division Announces New Contract with Novation

       Coloplast Corp. Skin Health Division (Marietta, Ga) has signed a 3-year contract with Novation (Irving, Tex), the supply company of Voluntary Hospital Association Inc., and the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) for the Coloplast Skin Health Division’s line of advanced wound care products.
       Novation, founded in 1998, is the largest national group purchasing organization in the United States and includes 2,400 hospital members representing 386,999 beds, 30% of national admissions, and 29% of surgeries performed in the nation.
       The contract covers Coloplast’s comprehensive line of wound care products and includes Comfeel® hydrocolloid dressings, Seasorb® alginate dressings, Biatain® foam dressings, Woun’Dres® and Purilon® hydrogel dressings, Sea-Clens™ wound cleanser, and Contreet® hydrocolloid and foam silver dressings.
       Numerous clinical studies have proven the effects of the Contreet foam dressing. One of these studies, the CONTOP study, is the largest comparative study ever conducted on a wound dressing. Over 600 patients have been enrolled in more than 10 countries. One of many findings is that Contreet reduces the ulcer area by 45–56% within 4 weeks. Odor was dramatically reduced or eliminated after just 1 week of treatment, and Contreet provides excellent exudate management.
       The Coloplast Skin Health Division offers a full line of skin and wound care products that include bathing, moisturizing, perineal cleanser, and barrier products. These products include brands of moisturizers and skin protectant products, Sween® and Baza®. The Coloplast Skin Health Division is focused on providing clinical and financial outcomes for its healthcare customers.
       Call 800-533-0464 or e-mail usdhk@coloplast.com for more information.

A New Quarterly Magazine for Caregivers of Family Members with Alzheimer’s Disease or Related Illnesses

       From the publishers of WOUNDS and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America comes Vantage™, a new quarterly magazine that provides caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia valuable resources for coping with and caring for these individuals. Topics include home safety, nutrition, family coping skills, medical information, and more in each issue.
       Caregivers may subscribe to Vantage by visiting http://www.AFA-vantage.com or by calling 866-AFA-8484.

MedAssets Contracts with Zassi Medical Evolutions, Inc. for its Innovative Bowel Management System

       Zassi Medical Evolutions (Fernandina Beach, Fla) announces the signing of an agreement with MedAssets (Atlanta, Ga) to provide its bowel management system to MedAssets’ member facilities. The 36-month agreement is effective as of May 1, 2005.
       The Zassi Bowel Management System (BMS) provides healthcare clinicians with an innovative bowel management catheter that helps them to work more efficiently in reducing the incidence of hospital-acquired infections arising out of contact and contamination by feces from nonambulatory patient populations. Because of its unique design, the Zassi BMS is the only system that safely manages all stool types and provides a means for clinicians to take stool samples hygienically and deliver drugs and medications. The Zassi BMS is also uniquely designed and available in multiple sizes to enhance patient comfort.
       Zassi Medical Evolutions is focused on creating and developing the growing bowel management practice area. The Zassi BMS is designed to provide advanced management of fecal incontinence that helps improve skin and wound care and assists in reducing patient and caregiver exposure to enteric organisms that result in hospital-acquired infections.
       For more information about Zassi Medical Evolutions, Inc. or the Zassi BMS, visit http://www.zassimedical.com, e-mail info@zassimedical.com, or call 888-258-2544.

Celleration, Inc. Receives FDA Clearance for Expanded Indication of “Promotes Wound Healing” for MIST Therapy™

       Celleration, Inc. (Eden Prairie, Minn) announces that it has received its second clearance with expanded indications from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the MIST Therapy™ System 5.0. The clearance was based in part on the results of its prospective, randomized, double-masked, sham-controlled, multicenter study in diabetic foot ulcers, which resulted in a statistically significant improvement in the incidence of complete wound closure and time to wound closure. The newly cleared indication for use reads, “The MIST Therapy System produces a low energy ultrasound-generated mist used to promote wound healing through wound cleansing and maintenance debridement by the removal of yellow slough, fibrin, tissue exudates, and bacteria.”
       Celleration’s proprietary noncontact MIST Technology™ can be used on a variety of wounds including acute, traumatic, chronic, and dehisced wounds to promote wound healing. MIST Therapy is an attractive technology for healthcare professionals, since its use appears to affect multiple aspects of a chronic wound to optimize the wound bed environment thus promoting healing. The treatment takes only minutes; it is easy to use, compact and portable, and comfortable for patients with painful wounds.
       Celleration, Inc., a privately held medical device company, was founded in 1999 to develop and commercialize its therapeutic ultrasound platform. The patented MIST Technology utilizes low intensity ultrasonic sound waves to produce an energized mist of sterile saline in a noncontact fashion. Critical to Celleration’s strategy is ongoing clinical and scientific research to provide evidence supporting the efficacy of this new technology. Celleration’s initial focus has been the chronic diabetic foot ulcer market.
       For more information on Celleration, Inc. and the MIST Therapy System 5.0, contact Chris Ernster, VP of Sales and Marketing, at 952-224-8702.