3M Health Care, St. Paul, MN, recently announced that the newest member of its infection prevention platform, 3M Tegaderm CHG (chlorhexidine luconate) IV Securement Dressing, demonstrated excellent long-term, surface antimicrobial activity against diverse microbial species with significant prevention of flora regrowth on prepped skin of healthy subjects. The findings were presented at the 18th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America in Orlando, FL. Tegaderm CHG is a transparent, antimicrobial dressing used to cover and protect catheter sites and to secure devices to skin. It consists of a transparent adhesive dressing and an integrated gel pad containing the highly effective antiseptic agent, CHG.
According to the manufacturer, 3M in vitro testing shows Tegaderm CHG has broad-spectrum activity against, and is a barrier to, a wide variety of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and yeast. 3M Tegaderm CHG has not been studied in a randomized clinical study as to its effectiveness in preventing catheter-related bloodstream infections or other percutaneous device-related infections.
[black up pointing small triangle]Information:http://www.3m.com
Gaymar Industries, Orchard Park, NY, has launched a dedicated interprofessional panel focused on skin changes at end of life and the unique challenges facing caregivers in the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatments of this condition. The consensus panel, named Skin Changes at Life's End (SCALE), brought together clinicians, caregivers, medical researchers, legal experts, academicians, and leaders of professional organizations to examine the issues surrounding end-of-life (EOL) skin changes. In a forum sponsored by an educational grant from Gaymar Industries, Inc, the panel discussed the nature of EOL skin changes, including the Kennedy Terminal Ulcer, and possible definitions; the need to educate clinicians and the public on the social, legal, and financial ramifications of this condition; and suggested research into the etiology, diagnosis, and recommended pathways of care.
The panel will identify an agenda for moving forward and publish a paper documenting the panel's findings and recommended next steps. "With the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services preparing to discontinue reimbursement for hospital-acquired pressure ulcers this October, clinicians and administrators have increased their focus on the prevention and treatment of this condition," said Dr Thomas Stewart, president of Gaymar Industries. "EOL skin change is a unique phenomenon that will receive closer scrutiny in the years to come, and this panel was formed to better define the challenges that lie ahead to map out a long-term strategy for addressing them."
[black up pointing small triangle]Information:http://www.gaymar.com
GHX, Louisville, CO, announced the winners of the fifth annual Best in Class Awards, recognizing 29 medical-surgical manufacturers that have achieved significant market share positions for distributed products through the end of 2007. GHX delivers software and services that enhance the business performance of health care companies around the globe. Winners in the wound care categories included Molnlycke Health Care-wound care, Covidien-wound staples and endosurgery, and Covidien-wound sutures. Winners in other wound care-related categories included Sage Products Inc-patient care products, medical; Medline Industries Inc-incontinence products; Coloplast-ostomy; Beiersdorf AG-adhesives, bandages, dressings, and sponges; Covidien-catheters, diagnostic, and therapeutic.
[black up pointing small triangle]Information:http://www.ghx.com
TriAssess Software Version 6.0 is the latest software release from Wound Care Strategies, Inc, Harrisburg, PA. The process-oriented architecture in the software provides comprehensive, user-friendly data entry for notification, reporting, and analysis processes. Through a combination of client-based and in-house initiative, the product offers solutions that integrate wound care process management across vertical (health, cost, and patient satisfaction) and horizontal (ambulatory, therapy, long-term care, home care, supplies) lines. In addition, based on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' initiatives, a companion management inpatient module to the TriAssess Software Version 6.0 has been developed. The Admission Assessment Manager is a management tool designed to provide advanced practice wound team members with a structure for identifying and documenting pressure ulcers on admission and throughout the hospital stay for high-risk patients.
[black up pointing small triangle]Information:http://www.woundcarestrategies.com
With the upcoming Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reimbursement changes regarding pressure ulcers developed during hospital stays, Sage Products offers hospitals 4 products to help address and eliminate perineal and heel pressure ulcers. These include Comfort Shield barrier cloths, premoistened disposable cloths designed to deliver 1-step perineal cleansing, moisturizing, and deodorizing while treating and protecting skin; Peri-Check guide, designed to help staff observe and report incontinence-associated dermatitis, skin breakdown, or other skin injury; Skin Check, designed to promote daily skin inspection during bathing; and Prevalon pressure-relieving heel protector, designed to minimize pressure, friction, and shear on the feet, heels, and ankles of nonambulatory patients by offloading the heel.
[black up pointing small triangle]Information:http://www.sageproducts.com