UCSF Medical Center Adopts 'Smart' Dressing For Chronic Wounds

University of California San Francisco Medical Center adopts the first in its class self-adaptive wound dressing for treating chronic wound sufferers

OSNovative Systems, Inc., the maker of self-adaptive wound care dressings, announced recently that its award-winning ENLUXTRA "Any Wound" dressing has been adopted at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center for treating chronic wounds.

The effectiveness and affordability of the first “smart” wound care product featuring feedback-driven, polymeric dressing material make it an attractive choice for the hospital as it takes wound management to a radically new level.

Enluxtra represents a fundamentally new category of dynamic, multifunctional, self-adaptive wound care products. While in direct contact with the wound, the dressing material is capable of sensing and analyzing the wound condition. It then automatically and reversibly adjusts its function to accommodate the wound’s needs, which may frequently and unpredictably change. Unlike conventional single-function dressings that have been the only wound treatment option in the past, this self-adaptive wound dressing can be used on any wound type at any stage of healing.

"What’s impressive about this dressing is that you can use it from beginning to end on any wound," said Dr. Alex M. Reyzelman, the Co-Director of UCSF Center for Limb Preservation. "Now we can carry one product and use it on almost everything.”

The dressing’s super-absorptive capability allows it to remain on the wound for up to 10 days, which results in both economic and clinical benefits. The reduced frequency of dressing changes brings remarkable cost savings to patients and health care providers, while fewer disruptions of wound homeostasis, which is a known critical condition for fast wound healing, let the healing process continue uninterrupted. In addition, due to non-sticking nature of the material, the patients experience little to no discomfort upon dressing removal.

"One of the big challenges we have in wound care is keeping the wound at that "just right" level of moisture -- not too wet and not too dry. Every time the needs of the wound change we have to change products and this can be both wasteful and expensive," said Dr. Caroline Fife, the Medical Director of the Wound Clinic at St. Luke's Hospital, The Woodlands, TX, and a prominent figure in the national wound care industry. "Enluxtra adapts to the changes in the amount of wound fluid, and patients love the way it feels. It is also very easy to use! Patients often find changing their dressings stressful. Enluxtra doesn't stick to the wound, it is easy to apply and it is comfortable."

Chronic wounds impact seven million Americans, which translates into $25B spent in the United States each year only for chronic wound management. The burden is growing rapidly due to an aging population and the increased incidence of diabetes, obesity and associated comorbidities.

The impact Enluxtra can make on the economics of wound management stems from three major factors: inventory reduction, as the treatment does not require any additional wound care products; simplified training, as the product can be used even by the patients themselves; and reduced time of treatment, as the dressing provides the optimal moist healing environment for all parts of the wound simultaneously.

Economic factors aside, Enluxtra does more: it brings long-awaited relief to chronic wound sufferers, changing and saving people’s lives.

"So far, out of all the things I’ve tried in all my years – and I’ve been treating wounds for 15 years – this is as close as it comes to a perfect dressing right now,"Dr. Reyzelman said. "I’m very excited about it because it’s actually doing what it’s designed to do."

In almost two years on the market, Enluxtra has been used by more than 40,000 patients both at home and in hundreds of health care facilities nationwide, including Long Term Care, Skilled Nursing Facilities, nursing homes, home health agencies, wound care and podiatry clinics.

About OSNovative Systems
OSNovative Systems, Inc., is a rapidly growing start-up in the Silicon Valley. It is a privately held company, owned and managed by a team of dedicated professionals. The company develops, manufactures and sells proprietary devices for advanced wound management, combat/emergency medicine and cosmetic skin care.

OSNovative Systems, Inc. is in cooperation with world-leading suppliers of raw materials and ISO certified contract manufacturing companies in order to fabricate its products to the highest standards of quality. The company’s product, Enluxtra, is the first and only product of the new self-adaptive class and is suitable for use on all wounds at any stage. Self-adaptive wound care technology makes institutional, home-based and field wound management simple, efficient and cost effective. For more information, visit www.AnyWound.com.