Smith & Nephew plc , a global leader in medical technology, has signed a worldwide distribution agreement with MolecuLight®, Inc., a developer of innovative imaging technology for the clinical assessment of wounds.
This agreement supports Smith & Nephew’s strategic priority to innovate for value by delivering solutions that help healthcare professionals better improve the lives of their patients.
“Smith & Nephew, through products such as ACTICOAT™ antimicrobial silver dressings and IODOSORB™ cadexomer gel, has long been committed to helping customers address infection in chronic and acute wounds,” said Andy Weymann, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Smith & Nephew. “The MolecuLight i:X imaging device enables healthcare professionals to see what they have never been able to see before, the actual accumulation of several common bacteria in a wound, even when not visible to the naked eye. MolecuLight i:X enhances clinicians’ ability to choose the right therapy, at the right time for their patient 1,2 In addition, it has also the potential to enhance other areas of current wound care practice such as helping to guide wound sampling and debridement, monitoring of wound progression, providing more insight in conversation between the clinician and the patient, and greater detail when documenting treatment decisions.”
Rosemary Hill, BSN, CWOCN, CETN(C), of Lions Gate Hospital (Vancouver, Canada) added, ”The MolecuLight i:X is more than a bacteria visualization device. The information it is providing is positively impacting our antimicrobial stewardship program and empowering my overall wound treatment decision making.”
The MolecuLight i:X is a handheld point-of-care imaging device that uses fluorescence imaging to display potentially harmful concentrations of bacteria that fluoresce in violet light on screen, in real-time. Clinicians can capture and view still images and video, as well as measure the surface area of a wound and then save and add those images to the patient’s electronic health record
“When combined with clinical best practice, the information provided by the MolecuLight i:X on bacterial presence and distribution can guide early interventions to potentially reduce bioburden and promote wound healing,” said Craig Kennedy, CEO MolecuLight. “Partnering with Smith & Nephew, a world leader in advanced wound care, allows this revolutionary technology to rapidly reach a worldwide customer base and begin the process of becoming a routine step in wound assessment.”
The MolecuLight i:X is currently available in Canada and the European Union with regulatory clearance in the U.S. pending.
