January 17, 2020
3M today announced that the United Kingdom’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published a Medtech Innovation Briefing (MIB) regarding the use of V.A.C. VERAFLO™ Therapy* to promote wound healing in chronic and acutely infected wounds.
3M notes the system is part of the company’s recently acquired KCI, an Acelity company, allowing 3M to focus on providing better care through patient-centered science, helping to improve patient outcomes by protecting and healing skin.
3M reports based on the evidence evaluated for the MIB, it showed that V.A.C. VERAFLO™ Therapy – negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) coupled with automated instillation – was shown to be more effective than standard of care (SOC), including moist wound care and traditional NPWT, in treating acutely infected or chronic non-healing wounds. Additionally, the MIB referenced findings that the use of V.A.C. VERAFLO™ Therapy could reduce patients’ length of hospital stay by 39 percent and reduces the number of debridements from 4.4 to 2.0 in cases of acutely infected or chronic non-healing wounds.1
“When we first introduced V.A.C.® Therapy nearly 25 years ago, we couldn’t have imagined the impact the technology would have on the practice of medicine, but also its evolution with the introduction of V.A.C. VERAFLO™ Therapy for the treatment of wounds with instillation,” said Ron Silverman, MD, FACS, Chief Medical Officer, 3M Medical Solutions Division.
Silverman added, “Now, we’re seeing V.A.C. VERAFLO™ Therapy outperforms traditional NPWT in the treatment of varying wound types, not just those that fail to heal. The NICE MIB reiterates existing clinical data supporting the use of V.A.C. VERAFLO™ Therapy as a first-line treatment; and we hope that as a result of this publication, more clinicians will become aware of V.A.C. VERAFLO™ Therapy and incorporate it into their standard of care protocols.”
“The versatility of V.A.C. VERAFLO™ Therapy has altered my practice,” said Mr. Haitham Khalil, MBBCH, MRCSEd, MD, FRCSEng, Consultant Oncoplasty and Reconstructive Surgery, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, UK. “I have used V.A.C. VERAFLO™ Therapy as both a bridge therapy prior to reconstructive surgery and as a standalone treatment and have seen first-hand its effectiveness in those with serious wounds. I believe this MIB will help expand access to V.A.C. VERAFLO™ Therapy and I look forward to seeing the impact it has on patients.”
The opinions of specialist commentators, clinical specialists working in the field, were consulted in the development of the MIB.
Chronic and acute infected wounds take an emotional toll on patients and a financial toll on the National Health Service (NHS), costing upwards of three billion pounds per year.
MIBs are developed by NICE to support NHS and social care commissioners and staff who are considering using new medical devices and other medical or diagnostic technologies.
* V.A.C. VERAFLO™ Therapy combines V.A.C.® Therapy with automated instillation and removal of topical wound cleansers, and is a therapy offering of the V.A.C. ULTA™ Therapy System. This unique system allows wounds to be treated with the instillation of topical wound solutions such as antiseptic wound solutions as well as saline to augment a favorable wound healing environment and prepare for closure.