Growing Body of Evidence Supports V.A.C. VeraFlo™ Therapy Changing How Clinicians Approach Treating Wounds

Data Demonstrate Clinical and Economic Advantages of V.A.C. VeraFlo™ Therapy Compared to Traditional NPWT

SAN ANTONIO - Monday, November 11th 2013 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE) Kinetic Concepts, Inc. announced today that new clinical and scientific evidence has emerged supporting the effectiveness of V.A.C. VeraFlo™ Instillation Therapy (NPWTi) compared to traditional V.A.C.® Therapy (NPWT). The studies showed reductions in the key metrics of hospital length of stay, time to wound closure and debridement costs with V.A.C. VeraFlo™ Therapy compared to traditional NPWT. The findings were recently featured during three independent presentations at the Diabetic Limb Salvage Conference in Washington, D.C. as part of an unrestricted educational grant, and two presentations at a KCI-sponsored Clinical Symposium on Advances in Skin & Wound Care Conference in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

“This growing body of evidence builds a strong clinical and economic platform demonstrating potential advantages of using V.A.C. VeraFlo™ Therapy over traditional V.A.C.® Therapy and further supports that V.A.C. VeraFlo™ Therapy is changing how clinicians approach treating wounds,” said Joe Woody, president & CEO, KCI. “KCI is committed to, and invested in, the future of V.A.C. VeraFlo™ Therapy as an alternate treatment option for customers and patients.”

Two studies presented separately by Paul Kim, DPM, MS, Associate Professor, Department of Plastic Surgery and Director of Research, Center for Wound Healing, Georgetown University School of Medicine, and Allen Gabriel, MD, FACS, Associate Professor, Department of Plastic Surgery, Loma Linda University Medical Center, and Chief of Plastic Surgery, PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, Vancouver, Washington, showed reduction in operating room visits and a decrease in hospital length of stay and time to wound closure when using V.A.C. VeraFlo™ Therapy with either Prontosan® Wound Irrigation Solution or saline instillation compared to V.A.C.® Therapy in wounds that required hospital admission and surgical debridement.1,2

“This [V.A.C. VeraFlo™ Therapy] is one of those things that comes along every decade or so that literally radically changes the way you treat your patients,” said Dr. Kim.

Another study by Dr. Gabriel reported a cost savings based on number of debridements and length of therapy when using V.A.C. VeraFlo™ Therapy versus V.A.C.® Therapy.3

Luc Teot, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Plastic Surgery, Lapeyronie Hospital, Montpellier University Hospital, France, reported that in a study of 131 patients treated with V.A.C. VeraFlo™ Therapy using saline, granulation tissue production was enhanced compared to conventional NPWT in terms of filling the dead space more rapidly and completely.4

Dr. Teot’s results are consistent with the results of a porcine study conducted by Chris Lessing, PhD, senior scientist, KCI, which compared, for the first time, V.A.C. VeraFlo™ Therapy with saline to both continuous and non-continuous (intermittent) profiles of V.A.C.® Therapy.5 This pre-clinical study showed V.A.C. VeraFlo™ Therapy with saline instillation formed thicker granulation tissue than continuous V.A.C.® Therapy and intermittent V.A.C.® Therapy modes after 7 days of therapy.

V.A.C. VeraFlo™ Instillation Therapy (NPWTi) combines the benefits of V.A.C.® Therapy with automated solution distribution and removal. To learn more about KCI and V.A.C. VeraFlo™ Therapy, visit www.KCI1.com.

To view the presentations presented at the Diabetic Limb Salvage Conference, please register at www.portaleducation.com or www.dlsconference.com.

About KCI

Kinetic Concepts Inc. (KCI) is a leading global medical technology company devoted to understanding, developing and commercializing innovative, high-technology transformational healing solutions for customers and patients in more than 65 countries around the world. KCI, along with LifeCell Corporation and Systagenix Wound Management, form one globally diversified wound care, biologics and regenerative medicine company, committed to advancing the science of medicine to reduce complications, speed healing and improve patient lives. Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, the company is a leader in the medical technology industry with the most comprehensive offering of best-in-class surgical and chronic wound therapies. Additional information about KCI and its products is available at www.KCI1.com.

    Kim PJ. Early Experience with Negative Pressure Wound Therapy with Instillation in Acutely Infected Wounds. CEU Symposia presented at the 2013 Diabetic Limb Salvage (DLS) Conference, Oct. 10-12, 2013, Washington, D.C.
    Gabriel A, Kahn K, Karmy-Jones R. Evaluating the Efficacy of Treating Patients with Negative Pressure Wound Therapy with Automated Volumetric Fluid Instillation. Poster presented at the 2013 Clinical Symposium on Advances in Skin & Wound Care Conference, Oct. 23-24, 2013, Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
    Gabriel A, Law A. Assess the Potential Cost Effectiveness of Using Negative Pressure Wound Therapy With Automated Volumetric Fluid Instillation for the Treatment of Extremity and Trunk Wounds. Poster presented at the 2013 Clinical Symposium on Advances in Skin & Wound Care conference, Oct. 23-24, 2013, Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
    Brinkert D, Ali M, Naud M, et al. Negative pressure wound therapy with saline instillation: 131 patient case series. International Wound Journal. 2013. In press.
    Lessing MC, James RB, Ingram SC. Comparison of the Effects of Different Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Modes—Continuous, Noncontinuous, and With Instillation—on Porcine Excisional Wounds. CEU Symposium and Poster presented at the 2013 Diabetic Limb Salvage (DLS) Conference, Oct. 10-12, 2013, Washington, D.C.

Contacts

KCI Corporate Communications

Mike Barger, 210-255-6824

mike.barger@kci1.com









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