Emerging from the COVID-19 era, wound care innovation is driven by small players, especially in the digital and diagnostic spaces
In June, wound, ostomy and continence-focused nurses, and supporting industry gathered in Fort Worth, TX for the hybrid WOCNext 2022 conference. In-person attendance was below expectations, but healthy booth time allowed for product discussions with exhibitors.
SmartTRAK observed that product innovation at WOCNext came from smaller companies and those focused on digital and diagnostic solutions not large manufacturers like Smith+Nephew*, 3M* or Mölnlycke* SmartTRAK learned that the large manufacturers are not launching new products for multiple reasons, including supply chain limitations, access to raw materials and the confidence to be able to supply enough products to serve the market.
SmartTRAK is closely watching advances and innovation in the digital and diagnostic space in wound care. Specifically, SmartTRAK Analyst Kris Flinn recently published an article, "The Future of Biosensors and Smart Dressings in Wound Care Diagnostics", available here, highlighting developments in diagnostic biosensors in smart dressings. Additionally, in an early 2022 interview with reimbursement expert Kathleen Schaum, we learned about reimbursement trends that support the development and use of these products.
Outlined below are several wound diagnostic and digital products prominently highlighted at WOCN.
- Masimo, a publicly-traded company focused on patient respiratory and other monitoring technologies, exhibited its Centroid wearable, wireless sensor to monitor patient orientation and movement in a hospital setting for the purpose of preventing pressure injuries. Centroid is Masimo’s first foray into wound prevention with most of its business and processes focused on bedside patient monitoring like pulse oximetry. Centroid competes with SNN’s Leaf* product though SmartTRAK learned that Masimo is struggling to adapt to wound care.
- Perceptive Solutions*, a privately held company spawned from Georgia Tech in 2010, exhibited WoundZoom,* a digital wound management solution designed to bring greater documentation compliance, accuracy and efficiency to the treatment and management of wounds. The Company continues to enhance the technology and recently announced the expanded functionality and benefits of the WoundZoom Mobile application with auto border wound detection technology. The Company also announced partnerships with Epic and MatrixCare to provide a seamless exchange of wound care data between WoundZoom and a facility’s electronic health record.
- Swift Medical*, a privately held Canadian company formed in 2015, showcased how its smartphone technology captures wound dimensions, assists in workflow management and provides improved patient visibility through online dashboards. The Company also revealed how the platform enables “virtual visits” through a newly released telemedicine offering. In March 2022, Swift Medical introduced Swift Ray 1, a hyperspectral imaging device capable of detecting complications on any skin tone that can be used in any lighting. A case study presented at WOCNext demonstrated hyperspectral imaging helps clinicians make better decisions about testing and antibiotic use based on knowing the difference between inflamed and infected wounds (Poster CS23). The case study found that Swift Ray 1 can help categorize wounds as not inflamed, inflamed or clinically infected.
- WoundVision, a privately held Indiana-based company formed in 2008, presented WoundVision Scout*, a combination digital and long-wave infrared camera. The digital camera is indicated for capturing visual images to measure the diameter, surface area and perimeter of a wound, while the infrared camera is indicated for use in capturing thermal images to measure thermal intensity of body surfaces. SmartTRAK noted two case studies highlighting the use of WoundVision Scout at WOCN. First, a case study of five patients assessed the tool’s ability to detect inflammatory changes in wounds resulting in improved real-time clinical decision-making (Poster CS42). A second case study of three patients used the tool to advocate for adjustments to patient care including additional diagnostic tests and treatments (Poster CS44). Furthermore, WoundVision recently announced that it was a contracted supplier with HealthTrust Purchasing Group, which gives HealthTrust member facilities access to WoundVision’s advanced imaging solution for skin and wound assessment with electronic medical record integration.
- In 2020, Arjo*, a publicly-traded company based in Malmo, Sweden, acquired a $24MM equity stake in Bruin Biometrics (BBI). The part ownership gives Arjo exclusive distribution rights to BBI’s Provizio SEM Scanner. The Scanner serves as a diagnostic aid to help clinicians identify patients at increased risk of pressure injury upon admission, prior to visual skin assessment. Arjo has noted that the SEM Scanner is a key component of the company’s new outcome-based program for pressure injury prevention. In a Q122 investor presentation, Arjo reported that conversion of the pipeline has been slower than anticipated due to COVID-19; however, the company affirmed expectations to reach forecasted sales volumes in 2022. Arjo’s commitment to this program was displayed as the company showcased the Provizio SEM Scanner at WOCNext.
- Healthy.io, a private company formed in 2013, with headquarters in Boston, London and Tel Aviv, displayed its smartphone-enabled wound care app that is an extension of Healthy.io’s clinical-grade color recognition products used in home urinalysis testing. The wound care app helps healthcare professionals objectively assess chronic wounds and track their progress over time through a repeatable process. Healthy.io recently announced a partnership with Innovive Health, a data-driven home health care agency serving complex behavioral health patients. The partnership involves the use of up to 700 Innovive nurses utilizing Healthy.io's digital wound management service to track and treat chronic wounds more efficiently.
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To download SmartTRAK Analyst Kris Flinn's recently published article titled "The Future of Biosensors and Smart Dressings in Wound Care Diagnostics" just click the button below. 
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