Smith & Nephew’s Advanced Wound Management division has announced the US launch of its novel RENASYS EZ Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) system. This NPWT system is intended to address the needs of wound care professionals and patients, and allow clinicians to exercise their own best clinical judgment in NPWT with confidence. The company will preview the RENASYS EZ at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, and will introduce it in March 2009. Smith & Nephew designed the RENASYS EZ based on customer insights to improve the NPWT experience, focusing on greater ease-of-use and patient comfort across the full range of wound types. RENASYS EZ allows clinicians to use variable pressure control, enables clinicians to treat surgical, traumatic or chronic wounds according to the individual needs of the patient and the characteristics of the patient’s wound. RENASYS EZ can be used with both the foam and gauze wound interfaces, allowing for broader therapy selection from a single supplier. In addition to a simple control that varies pressure from 40 to 200 mmHg and the ability to use both foam and gauze dressings, Smith & Nephew designed RENASYS EZ with additional features that enhance the patient experience and facilitate its ease of use. The additional features include: • An intuitive design and quick-click connectors can help reduce the risk of error. • Multiple safety alarms and a patient lock-out feature alert clinicians to changes in pressure status or pump function. • The RENASYS EZ battery runs for up to 40 hours and charges in three hours. • A convenient IV pole and bed mounts reduce the system’s footprint at the patient’s bedside. • The system weighs only 7.4 lbs, reducing stress on the caregiver. “We conducted the clinical in-market evaluation of the RENASYS EZ at University of Massachusetts,” said Dr. Dunn. “We used the RENASYS EZ to treat a wide range of acute, chronic and peri-operative wounds. The study showed improved outcomes in the healing of skin grafts, including grafts for very complex wounds.” Smith & Nephew introduced small, medium and large RENASYS F Foam Dressing Kits in December 2008 to provide clinicians with access to foam and gauze wound interfaces from a single NPWT device manufacturer. With the extra-large (43x30x3 cm) foam dressing kit due in March 2009, Smith & Nephew will offer the most comprehensive range of foam- and gauze-based dressing kits available in the marketplace. “Foam may be cut easily to fit a patient’s wound that has a regular contour, such as surgical dehiscence or abdominal wound,” said Robin Carlstein, Senior Vice President of Advanced Wound Devices at Smith & Nephew. “For pain-sensitive patients or patients with shallow or irregular wounds, gauze may be a better choice for the wound bed. We want the clinician to be able to select the best wound interface based on the patient’s needs, the wound, or the particular care setting.”