




Healthcare Industry News: Mike Genau
News Release - March 18, 2010
KCI Launches the Prevena Incision Management System in Europe and Canada
Prevena(TM) System First and Only Powered Negative Pressure Product Designed to Manage Incisions at Risk of ComplicationSAN ANTONIO--(HSMN NewsFeed)--Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (NYSE: KCI ) today announced the initial European and Canadian launch of the Prevena™ Incision Management System, the first and only powered negative pressure product designed specifically for management of surgically closed incisions. Studies have shown that the Prevena™ System may reduce the risk of post-operative complications, such as infection. The Prevena™ Incision Management System is now available for use in hospitals throughout Europe and Canada. KCI estimates greater than three million procedures are performed each year worldwide that could benefit from treatment with the Prevena™ System, representing a potential global opportunity greater than $1 billion.
The Prevena™ Incision Management System is designed to create an environment that helps to promote healing by:
- Removing exudate and potentially infectious material
- Helping to hold the edges of the incision together
- Stimulating perfusion
- Reducing edema
- Protecting the surgical site from external infectious sources
“The Prevena™ Incision Management System is an important part of KCI’s broader Negative Pressure Therapy Platform,” said Mike Genau, KCI global president, Active Healing SolutionsTM. “Prevena™ represents a revolutionary solution for surgical incisions at risk for post-operative complications. Prevena™ further diversifies our Active Healing Solutions™ portfolio, and we are excited to offer a product that may play a role in preventing and minimizing surgical complications.”
Designed to conform to patient contours and help hold incision edges together, the Prevena™ Incision Management System includes a single dressing, worn for the duration of therapy, which acts as a barrier to external infectious sources. The Prevena™ System is indicated in the European Union and Canada for use over clean, closed incisions to manage the post-surgical environment and may reduce the likelihood of post-operative complications, such as surgical-site infection, dehiscence, hematoma and seroma. The system is intended for sale and single-patient use.
Dr. Nanne Kort, an orthopedic surgeon at Orbis Medical Park, the Netherlands, recently used the product for a patient and commented, “The incision was clean and closed, exactly what I was hoping for in this co-morbid patient. When standard of care is applied, I typically see moisture at the incision area, which increases opportunity for infection. At-risk patients ambulating in a non-clinical setting are also key patients for Prevena™ Therapy as multiple dressing changes could lead to increased secondary infection. And finally, Prevena™ Therapy may potentially enable patients to be discharged earlier in comparison to standard of care, which may decrease their overall cost of treatment, an area I am interested in studying.”
For more information, please visit www.kci1.com.
About KCI
Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (NYSE:KCI ), is a leading global medical technology company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of innovative, high-technology therapies and products for the wound care, tissue regeneration and therapeutic support system markets. Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, KCI's success spans more than three decades and can be traced to a history deeply rooted in innovation and a passion for significantly improving the healing and the lives of patients around the world.
The Company employs 6,700 people and markets its products in more than 20 countries. For more information about KCI, and how its products are changing the practice of medicine, visit www.KCI1.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding management’s estimated market size for procedures eligible for use with Prevena™ as well as KCI’s expectations for product performance and plans for future product developments and introductions. Forward-looking statements may contain words such as believes, expects, anticipates, estimates, projects, intends, should, seeks, future, continue, or the negative of such terms, or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that are difficult to predict and that could cause actual results to vary materially from those expressed in or indicated by them. In particular, our ability to recognize increased sales and profitability from our Prevena™ Incision Management System products is subject to all the risks associated with the commercialization of new products based on innovative technologies, including unanticipated technical problems, manufacturing difficulties, gaining customer acceptance and other factors beyond our control. Additional risks and factors are identified in KCI's filings with the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission (the SEC), including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2008, and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September, 2009, which are available on the SEC's Web site at http://www.sec.gov. KCI undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement, or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
All trademarks designated herein are proprietary to KCI Licensing, Inc. its affiliates and/or licensors.
Source: Kinetic Concepts
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