Novel Anti-Biofilm AQUACEL™ Ag+ Dressing Demonstrates Positive Results in Hard-to-Heal Wounds
Notícias
95% of wounds studied either improved or healed completely in clinical evaluations1
DEESIDE, Wales (March 2, 2015)—A new, multi-country, clinical evaluation study showed that AQUACEL™ Ag+ wound dressing demonstrated positive results in wounds, including those compromised by biofilm and/or infection. Peer-reviewed results were published in the January 2015 issue of Journal of Wound Care.
AQUACEL™ Ag+ dressings have been designed to disrupt biofilm and kill infection-causing bacteria in the wound dressing. Biofilms are formed when colonies of surface-attached bacteria secrete a slime to protect themselves. They are believed to exist in the majority of chronic wounds, are difficult to disrupt and can reform quickly. Biofilm contributes to adverse patient outcomes that include delayed healing, and may be a precursor to clinical infection.
In the study, a single wound in each of 113 patients was observed over an average treatment period of 4.1 weeks. By the end of the study:
- 95% of all wounds either improved or healed completely
- 63% of all wounds achieved at least a 75% reduction in wound size, with an average reduction in wound size of 73% across all wounds
Based on these positive results and using a recently published wound care costing method,investigators estimated a potential approximate 30% savings in the cost of primary dressings when AQUACEL™ Ag+ dressing is used.
“Our awareness and understanding of biofilm—its ubiquitous nature and role in delayed healing of chronic wounds—has increased greatly over the past few years,” said Kevin Woo, Assistant Professor at Queen’s University in Ontario Canada. “The results I saw using AQUACEL™ Ag+ dressing during the clinical evaluation provide a good indication of this product’s ability to address biofilm and bacterial burden.”
“The results of this study are very exciting—providing further evidence of this new dressing’s antimicrobial performance, which may help improve healing outcomes and help hospitals and other payers reduce their total costs of care,” added Phil Bowler, Vice President of Science and Technology, ConvaTec.
About the Study
The study, supported by ConvaTec, involved expert investigators conducting 113 clinical evaluations on challenging at-risk or infected chronic and acute wounds in medical facilities in Canada and 14 European countries.
Most of wounds studied presented as venous leg ulcers (52%) or diabetic foot ulcers (12%), with the majority displaying clinical signs of infection. Biofilm was suspected by clinicians in 74% of the cases, and many of the wounds had previously been treated unsuccessfully with antibiotics and standard silver or iodine-containing wound products.
During the clinical evaluations, the only stipulated change in the protocol of care was the replacement of the previous primary dressing with AQUACEL™ Ag+ dressing. Baseline and final assessment of wounds were recorded and compared to evaluate wound progress, volume of wound, condition of surrounding skin, tissues present in wound bed and exudate level. The weekly, per-patient, dressing-inclusive costs were based on a published methodology.
About AQUACEL™ Ag+ Dressings
AQUACEL™ Ag+ dressings are designed to address three key barriers to wound healing: excess exudate, infection and biofilm. AQUACEL™ Ag+ dressings combine ConvaTec’s proprietary Hydrofiber™ Technology with new Ag+ Technology. As demonstrated in vitro, Hydrofiber™ Technology absorbs and retains excess exudate to help create an ideal healing environment.The new Ag+ Technology has been developed to maximize the antimicrobial action of ionic silver, which has been shown in vitro to kill a broad spectrum of bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant superbugs.
The family of AQUACEL™ Ag+ dressings includes AQUACEL™ Ag+ Extra™ dressing and AQUACEL™ Ag+ ribbon dressing for tunneling wounds. AQUACEL™ Ag+ dressings received CE mark approval in 2013 and are available in select countries in the European Union, as well as Canada, Hong Kong and Malaysia. AQUACEL™ Ag+ dressings are investigational devices within the U.S. which are limited by U.S. federal law to investigational use and not yet available for commercial sale.
About ConvaTec
ConvaTec is a global medical products and technologies company with leading market positions in wound therapeutics, ostomy care, continence and critical care, and infusion devices. Its products provide a range of clinical and economic benefits, including infection prevention, protection of at-risk skin, improved patient outcomes and reduced total cost of care. ConvaTec has over 8,000 employees, with 11 manufacturing sites in 8 countries and does business in more than 100 countries. ConvaTec is owned by Nordic Capital and Avista Capital Partners.
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