Another quarter of strong growth, but slower growth clouds building up on the horizon here and there. Both Smith+Nephew and ConvaTec have newly appointed CEOs.

For Q319, according to SmartTRAK’s Financial Dashboard, WW Advanced Wound Care (AWC) revenue for Advanced Dressings, External Devices and Biologics was up +5.9% YoY.

Acelity remained the WW AWC market leader, up +6.3% YoY, driven by  Prevena and the Crawford acquisition. WW Advanced Dressings saw several strong shifts in the ranking of companies, with ConvaTec moving up to the 2nd position, surpassing Smith + Nephew (S+N), after ConvaTec recovering, but S+N facing continued declining growth. Mölnlycke led the market and Coloplast was the strongest growing of the top four. The total market was up +3.2% YoY. US Skin/Dermal Substitute (CTP) revenue increased, with xenografts, especially  Organogenesis’  PuraPly, driving gains. WW NPWT was up  +8.2% YoY, with traditional devices up +3.4% and single-use...

Among the many topics covered in the complete, comprehensive Q319 Advanced Wound Care Market Recap* are:

The US Surgical Matrices Market grew tepidly in Q319,  up +1.2% YoY,  down from its +3.5% growth in Q219. 

The overall US Surgical Matrices market had minimal growth for the quarter at +1.2% YoY, a decline from Q219. The Breast segment contracted -1.5% YoY and a 34.7% share of the entire Surgical Matrices market. The Hernia Repair market continued its modest growth at +2.6% YoY and a 65.3% share of the US Surgical Matrices Market in Q319.

In Q319, Allergan’s hold on the Breast Matrices segment slipped further due to supply chain issues with its AlloDerm ADM, but the Company maintained its leadership of the Surgical Matrices market a 32.3% share. BD continued its growth in their biosynthetic hernia matrices business and maintained No. 2 market position, with revenues of ...

Whether you are a patient, a provider or product manufacturer it’s difficult to make it through the day without being reminded that healthcare is expensive. Many patients see it in their rising premiums, copays and deductibles. Providers feel it when their reimbursement gets cut or is capped, and product manufacturers experience it when they hear, “it’s too expensive.”

I’ll be the first to admit that I am not a New England Patriots fan. As a matter of fact I get rather irritated when they win year after year. Nevertheless, it’s hard to not appreciate the spirit of teamwork that has propelled the Patriots organization to win six Super Bowl titles. As we know, teamwork does not suggest the absence of conflict; however, it does express the willingness of a group of people, with individual talents, to work together to achieve a goal. Teamwork between clinicians, policy representatives and product manufacturers is crucial to winning the battle of healing wounds, salvaging limbs and saving lives. Three key takeaways from Day 2 of Desert Foot 2019 lend support to this point.

Clinical thought-leaders and product developers convened in the heart of downtown Phoenix, Arizona at Desert Foot 2019 to share knowledge and showcase innovative technologies that aim to improve the quality of life of patients with lower extremity disorders. As a demonstration of the eagerness and commitment to share knowledge, Day 1 began bright and early at 6:00 am with a session highlighting cases in limb preservation and ended at 6:45 pm with a session questioning if there was a resurgence in amputations in patients with diabetic foot. Whether planned or not, this was a thoughtful way to bookend the day by emphasizing the potential good and bad outcomes of this vulnerable patient population...

Ahead of the Desert Foot conference, SmartTRAK interviewed Dr. Michael Shore, Director of Medical Education and a founding member of PRESENT e-Learning Systems, to preview the conference which is being held Dec 4-7, 2019 in Phoenix, AZ

The multi-specialty conference provides comprehensive education for the overall management of the high-risk foot and lower extremities for podiatrists and other clinicians. Attendees will benefit from a wide variety of presentations, hands-on workshops and scientific research and will see cutting edge technology presented by the largest medical device and pharmaceutical companies in the industry.

To find our more about Desert Foot 2019, as well as PRESENT e-learning Systems, click on the following video to listen to SmartTRAK’s interview with Dr. Shore. (16:45 min)

Headed to Desert Foot? We have you covered.

SmartTRAK’s Senior Analyst for Advanced Wound Care, Terry Hayslett, is headed to Phoenix, Arizona for the 2019 Desert Foot Conference. We caught up with him ahead of the December 4-7th meeting as part of our new Know Before You Go series.

Desert Foot is one of the premier advanced wound care meetings. The meeting is held annually in Phoenix. “The conference brings together six groups involved with limb salvage preservation of the lower extremity from the Veterans Administration, VA Podiatric Residency Directors, Arizona Podiatric Medical Association, Association for the Advancement of Wound Care (AAWC), the Department of Defense, and healthcare professionals in the private sector, from across the country to a single conference to best meet their educational needs.” Desert Foot

1. Terry, you will soon be attending Desert Foot. What is it about this meeting that you are most excited about?

AVA Scientific Meeting 2019 highlights key opportunities for improvement in vascular access from process bundles to emerging new products

Introduction

Acknowledgment of the importance of the vascular access nurse and team were obvious at this year’s Association for Vascular Access (AVA) Annual Scientific meeting. When Ramzy Nasrallah took over as CEO for the Association of Vascular Access (AVA) in 2017, he consolidated the mission of AVA “Protect the Patient, Educate the Clinician and Save the Line” to make it more memorable and to create a more powerful message. (See SmartTRAK interview with Nasrallah at AVA 2017). Nasrallah’s ultimate goal for AVA is to be “the biggest, most reputable, and highly regarded healthcare association in the world” with tens of thousands of members globally. Since taking the helm and advancing his agenda...

Dr. Ronald Baxter of Baylor University and Spectral MD, discusses the Spectral MD DeepView Wound Imaging System in predicting DFU wound healing utilizing artificial intelligence in an interview with SmartTRAK.

Spectral MD has developed the DeepView Wound Imaging System to utilize real-time data and artificial intelligence to predict wound healing. The Company has seen initial success in burn treatment and is now moving into validation of their system for diabetic foot ulcers with the goal to predict a wound’s healing potential at the initial clinical visit.

To learn more about Spectral MD’s multi-spectral imaging system, DeepView; the pilot DFU study to analyze the predictive qualities of its artificial intelligence deep learning program, and the company’s plans moving forward, SmartTRAK interviewed Dr. Ronald Baxter, of Baylor University and Spectral MD.

To view the interview, recorded live at SAWC Spring 2019, click on the following video. A transcript of SmartTRAK’s interview with Dr. Baxter is below.

SmartTRAK is excited to be attending SAWC Fall 2019, Oct. 12-14 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, NV.

Analysts Susan Paquette, VP & GM Wound, BioMedGPS, and Terry Hayslett, Senior Analyst, Advanced Wound Care will be there representing SmartTRAK. Please contact us if you would like to meet.

Susan recently interviewed Bluestone Physician Services’ Sarah Keenan, Chief Clinical Officer, and Jessie Waks, Director of Clinical Practice and Education, discussing challenges and opportunities related to wound care in assisted living facilities. Bluestone Physician Services is a primary care practice delivering on-site care to patients in assisted living and other residential care settings who face difficulty in visiting a physician’s office due to mobility or frailty. If you would like to read the transcript of the interview "Challenges and Opportunities for Wound Care in Assisted Living Facilities: An Interview with Bluestone Physician Services" please click the button at the end of this post.