Derma Sciences Gains FDA Clearance for BIOGUARD™ Barrier Dressing With NIMBUS® Technology

     Derma Sciences Inc (Princeton, NJ) announced that its first BIOGUARD™ Barrier Dressings have received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for marketing and distribution. The dressing will offer surgeons, wound care clinicians, infection control experts, and primary care doctors a new weapon against the transmission of virulent bacteria, such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). With surgical site infections being such a serious concern in addition to recent changes in reimbursement, prevention has become a significant objective for hospitals. The gauze-based line of dressings incorporates Quick-Med Technologies’ (Boca Raton, Fla) patented NIMBUS® cationic biocide technology, licensed by Derma Sciences in 2007. This represents the first FDA clearance for a product with the NIMBUS technology.

     Visit www.dermasciences.com for more information.

Smith & Nephew Launches New RENASYS EZ™ NPWT System

     Smith & Nephew’s Advanced Wound Management division (St. Petersburg, Fla) announced the US launch of its new Renasys EZ™ Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) system designed to address the needs of wound care professionals and patients. The system enables clinicians to treat surgical, traumatic, or chronic wounds according to the individual needs of the patient and the characteristics of the particular wound. The system can be used with both foam and gauze wound interfaces and weighs only 7.4 lbs.

     Features and functions include quick-click connectors that help reduce the risk of error and multiple safety alarms, and a patient lockout feature that alerts clinicians to changes in pressure status or pump functions. The battery runs for up to 40 hours and charges in 3 hours. The IV pole and bed mounts reduce the system’s footprint at the bedside.

     Visit www.smith-nephew.com for more information.

Sechrist Introduces Patient-Positioning Pads for Hyperbaric Oxygen Chambers

     Sechrist Industries (Anaheim, Calif) recently introduced the hyperbaric industry’s first patient-positioning pads developed specifically for use in hyperbaric oxygen chambers. The Sechrist HBO2 Patient Comfort Positioning Pads™ are available in 3 multifunctional configurations: wedge, lumbar support, and lateral support. These configurations provide maximum flexibility in achieving optimum patient comfort during treatment. The compact pads have flame and moisture retardation and the conductivity required for use in high oxygen concentration environments.

     The pads are constructed from many of the same materials that have made the Sechrist OmniPressure™ Hyperbaric Chamber Mattress so well received with today’s pressure sore requirements. The underlying structure of the pads is high-density foam that is covered in specialized fabric. The fabric cover of the pads is also conductive, anti-microbial, self-deodorizing, and easily cleaned using certified disinfectants.

     Visit www.SechristUSA.com or call 800-SECHRIST for more information.