Smith & Nephew (LSE: SN, NYSE: SNN), the global medical technology business, today announces the introduction in Japan of RENASYS◊ Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) System and VERSAJET◊ Hydrosurgery System, approved by MHLW on July 31 and July 3 respectively. These two new advanced products complement the company's range of integrated wound management products now available in Japan and further provide the benefits of reducing the human and economic cost of wounds. Both products will be launched at the Smith & Nephew booth #P-2 at the 4th Congress of the World Union of Wound Healing Societies (wuwhs2012.com) September 2-6 in Yokohama, Japan.
“Smith & Nephew is dedicated to helping improve people's lives by bringing innovative technology to wound care and combining it with a deep understanding of best-practice techniques for the healing of wounds,” said Roger Teasdale, President Advanced Wound Management Division. “Patient well-being is a fundamental aspect of good wound care, so in addition to the latest in technology, we provide practical frameworks for clinicians, patients, organisations and industry to understand and promote the patient's best interests.”
An Integrated Approach to Wound Management
The RENASYS NPWT system offers enhanced wound healing and improved patient comfort in traumatic and other hard-to-heal wounds while providing a portfolio range to allow clinicians to use their full clinical judgment in treating each individual patient. The portfolio includes two different pump options which offer flexibility in treating a wide variety of wounds in various care settings, while innovative design features make it easy to operate. Furthermore, two alternative dressing technologies are available to allow clinician choice to meet the individual needs of the patient and their wound.
The VERSAJET (Hydrosurgery) system allows clinicians to precisely select, excise and evacuate necrotic (damaged or dead) tissue, bacteria and contaminants from wounds, burns and soft-tissue injuries using an ultra-thin saline jet that spares viable tissue and optimises surgical debridement. It can potentially decrease the time to wound closure and the overall treatment costs.
“With an estimated 700,000 people in Japan suffering from chronic wounds, and an additional 350,000 of trauma and burn related wounds annually an effective means to manage wound care is essential,” said Tom Hayashida, President of Smith & Nephew Wound Management KK. “The introduction of RENASYS and VERSAJET in Japan will offer clinicians an integrated and flexible approach to wound management that can reduce the human and economic impact of wounds.”
Both systems' efficacy are backed by compelling evidence in Japan:
A comprehensive clinical study of 80 patients was conducted on RENASYS in Japan. The study which validated the safety and efficacy of RENASYS, took place over 16 centres with various acute, sub-acute and chronic wounds. The overall data endpoints were similar to those in overseas literature and a NPWT study previously conducted in Japan. In addition to the clinical endpoints - foam and cotton fillers were evaluated and found to have with a usage pattern suggesting specific benefits of wound fillers to certain wound types. This again was similar to overseas experience in NPWT.
In a clinical study conducted with VERSAJET on 47 patients with a range of burns, acute and chronic wounds across six centres in Japan, 94 percent of patients achieved appropriate debridement following a single debridement procedure, as verified by an independent photographic assessment. Notably, 91 percent of wounds did not progress into a deeper compartment, indicating a high degree of tissue preservation.
“Finding a means for effective wound management and improved healing times has always been challenging,” said Professor K. Harii, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Kyorin University of School of Medicine, Congress President of the World Union of Wound Healing Societies (WUWHS). “The limited budgets and resources currently available to do so add a layer of complexity to the issue for clinicians and organizations. The evidence behind RENASYS and VERSAJET both globally and in Japan indicate that effective debridement and the use of NPWT on problematic wounds can ultimately save the patient from lengthy stays in hospital and save clinicians and organizations from having to expend considerable resources on managing hard-to-heal wounds.”
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About the VERSAJET Hydrosurgery System
The innovative VERSAJET Hydrosurgery system is a specialised powered surgical instrument designed to improve care for patients undergoing wound debridement in the operating theatre. The system can help to reduce procedure times as well as potentially reducing the number of debridements each wound requires compared to traditional modalities, e.g. the use of scalpel and pulsed lavage. This modality is suitable for surgical debridement of chronic and acute wounds in the operating theatre with the patient undergoing general anaesthesia.
About the RENASYS NPWT System
Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) is an established form of medicinal therapy used to heal the human body. Over the past decade, there has been a significant increase in the use of this therapy, and today NPWT provides clinicians with an important option for the management of a variety of chronic and acute wounds.
The RENASYS NPWT system enables clinicians to tailor the application of NPWT to meet their patients' unique needs and the specific requirements of their wounds, with clear improvements in patient comfort, ease of use and cost-effectiveness.
Two different pump options offer flexibility in treating a wide variety of wounds, while innovative design features make it easy to operate.
- The RENASYS GO is a device that combines portability and ease of operation to maximize patient comfort, mobility and convenience.
- The RENASYS EZ PLUS is a device that offers a solution for high-volume output wounds and flexibility in treating a variety of acute and chronic wounds.
Simple and powerful, the RENASYS NPWT system delivers the clinical benefits of negative pressure while improving ease of use, cost-effectiveness and the overall patient experience.
For more information visit: www.myrenasys.com
About Smith & Nephew
Smith & Nephew is a global medical technology business dedicated to helping improve people's lives. With leadership positions in Orthopaedic Reconstruction, Advanced Wound Management, Sports Medicine and Trauma, Smith & Nephew has almost 11,000 employees and a presence in more than 90 countries. Annual sales in 2011 were nearly $4.3 billion. Smith & Nephew is a member of the FTSE100 (LSE: SN, NYSE: SNN).
The company established Smith & Nephew KK in Japan in 1987 and currently employs 130 people in the Advanced Wound Management division in Japan. For more information visit https://www.smith-nephew.com/ja-jp/
For more information about Smith & Nephew, please visit https://www.smith-nephew.com.
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