ConvaTec Canada Launches Hydrofiber(R) Technology Web Site

    
    Transforming wound care with the power behind the company's advanced
    dressings
    

DORVAL, QC, Nov. 24 /CNW/ - ConvaTec, a world-leading provider of innovative medical technologies for community and hospital care, today announced the launch in Canada of a new web site, www.Hydrofiber.ca, demonstrating how the company's proprietary Hydrofiber(R) Technology is transforming wound care.

Designed for clinicians managing chronic and acute wounds, the web site illustrates the unique features and benefits of Hydrofiber(R) Technology with extensive video, data and commentary from research scientists within ConvaTec Wound Therapeutics. This transformational technology, unique to ConvaTec, powers the performance of advanced wound care products, including AQUACEL(R), AQUACEL(R) Ag and Versiva(R) XC(R) dressings, each developed for different wound management needs.

"Hydrofiber(R) Technology is the intelligent choice to meet the diverse wound care needs of clinicians and their individual patients," said Michael Steadman , President of ConvaTec Wound Therapeutics. "This exciting, new online resource shows how our high performance dressings not only help clinicians achieve better outcomes and improve the patient experience, but also contribute to cost control."

ConvaTec dressings with Hydrofiber(R) Technology gel on contact with fluid, providing clinicians and patients with substantial wound care benefits. This unique gelling action enables the dressings to lock in exudate and its harmful components(1-3a) and contour closely to the wound bed,(4a) in response to changing wound conditions. With the addition of ionic silver, AQUACEL(R) Ag dressing also provides "on demand" broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, responding to increased bacterial load with increased silver ion availability.(5,6a,b)

Advanced Wound Dressings with Hydrofiber(R) Technology from ConvaTec

AQUACEL(R) and AQUACEL(R) Ag dressings are soft, absorbent non-woven wound dressings based on Hydrofiber(R) Technology. Indicated for a wide range of moderate-to-highly exuding chronic and acute wounds, AQUACEL(R) and AQUACEL(R) Ag dressings come in a variety of shapes, sizes and formats. AQUACEL(R) Ag dressing also provides the broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties of ionic silver, which kills a broad range of pathogens in the dressing, including MRSA and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE).(5)

Recent research, published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology, also showed that AQUACEL(R) Ag is safe for use in an MRI environment (up to 3 Tesla 128 MHz, SAR up to 2 W/kg), according to the standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials.(7)

Versiva(R) XC(R) dressing is a sterile wound dressing with a wound contact layer made from Hydrofiber(R) Technology and indicated for use with moderately-to-highly exuding chronic and acute wounds. Thanks to its gelling Hydrofiber(R) Technology, exudate is absorbed and locked in,(1) trapping harmful bacteria(2,8) and MMPs,(3) creating an optimal moist wound environment that helps progress wounds toward healing.(9,10) And because it includes Hydrofiber(R) Technology, Versiva(R) XC(R) dressing is also the only dressing designed specifically to cover AQUACEL(R) and AQUACEL(R) Ag dressings

ConvaTec dressings containing Hydrofiber(R) Technology have been evaluated in numerous clinical trials across a range of chronic and acute wounds, including pressure ulcers, leg ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers, partial thickness (second degree) burns and surgical incisions.

About ConvaTec

ConvaTec is a leading developer and marketer of innovative medical technologies that have helped improve the lives of millions of people worldwide. With four key business divisions - Ostomy Care, Wound Therapeutics, Continence and Critical Care and Infusion Devices - ConvaTec products support health care professionals from the hospital to the community health setting. From its headquarters in Skillman, New Jersey, the company oversees more than 8,000 employees in over 90 countries serving consumers and their health care professionals on six continents. In Canada , our Head Office is based in Dorval, Quebec . For more information, please visit www.convatec.com.

    
    a.  As demonstrated in vitro
    b.  The amount of silver released is controlled by the maximum
        concentration of silver that can enter solution.


    1.  Waring MJ, Parsons D. Physico-chemical characterisation
        ofcarboxymethylated spun cellulose fibres. Biomaterials. 2001;22:903-
        912.
    2.  Walker M, Hobot JA, Newman GR, Bowler PG. Scanning electron
        microscopic examination of bacterial immobilisation in a
        carboxymethylcellulose (Aquacel(R)) and alginate dressing.
        Biomaterials. 2003;24(5):883-890.
    3.  Walker M, Bowler PG, Cochrane CA. In vitro studies to show
        sequestration of matrix metalloproteinases by silver-containing wound
        care products. Ostomy Wound Manage. 2007;53(9):18-25.
    4.  Jones SA, Bowler PG, Walker M. Antimicrobial activity of silver-
        containingdressings is influenced by dressing conformability with a
        wound surface. Wounds. 2005;17(9):263-270.
    5.  Jones SA, Bowler PG, Walker M, Parsons D. Controlling wound bioburden
        with a novel silver-containing Hydrofiber(R) dressing. Wound Repair
        Regen. 2004;12(3):288-294.
    6.  Bowler PG, Jones SA, Walker M, Parsons D. Microbicidal properties of
        a silver-containing Hydrofiber(R) dressing against a variety of burn
        wound pathogens. J Burn Care Rehabil. 2004;25(2):192-196.
    7.  Nyenhuis J, Duan L. An evaluation of MRI safety and compatibility of
        a silver-impregnated antimicrobial wound dressing. J Am Coll Radiol.
        2009;6:500-505.
    8.  Newman GR, Walker M, Hobot JA, Bowler P. Visualisation of bacterial
        sequestration and bactericidal activity within hydrating Hydrofiber
        (R) wound dressings. Biomaterials. 2006;27(7):1129-1139.
    9.  Vanscheidt W, Munter KC, Klovekorn W Vin F, Gauthier JP, Ukat A . A
        prospective study on the use of a non-adhesive gelling foam dressing
        on exuding leg ulcers. J Wound Care. 2007;16(6):261-265.
    10. Parish LC, Dryski M, Cadden S. Prospective clinical study of a new
        adhesive gelling foam dressing in pressure ulcers Int Wound J.
        2008;5:60-67.

    Hydrofiber, AQUACEL, Versiva and Versiva XC are registered trademarks of
    ConvaTec Inc.
    (C) 2009 ConvaTec Inc.
    AP-008676-CA
    

For further information: Punnie Donohue, ConvaTec, Phone: [phone], [email protected]; Natalia Smalyuk, Weber Shandwick, Phone: [phone], Email: [email protected]