Smith & Nephew (NYSE:SNN) said today it launched the MolecuLight i:X handheld imaging device designed to assess wound surface area and help visualize harmful bacteria within the wounds in Europe.
The device is designed to improve wound assessments, which are currently made without tools, the company said. The system uses fluorescence to help visualize potentially harmful bacteria which may other be missed.
“The MolecuLight i:X enables healthcare professionals to see what they have never been able to see before. We are proud to partner with MolecuLight Inc. and bring this innovative technology to our customers. It strongly complements our range of advanced wound care products and we believe is set to start a revolution in wound care clinical practice,” Smith & Nephew wound global marketing senior VP Paolo Di Vincenzo said in a prepared statement.
Clinical data from assessments with the device showed improved objective medical decision making and up to nine times faster wound healing with 54% more accurate swabbing, Smith & Nephew said.
“Not only has the MolecuLight i:X transformed my department’s clinical decision making in terms of targeting sampling and debridement and improving antimicrobial stewardship, but the benefit to patients has also been exciting to see. By being able to engage patients in their wound healing progress, and by showing them the real-time images, we can reduce anxiety, and provide reassurance regarding the diminishing burden of bacteria,” Rosemary Hill of Vancouver’s Lions Gate Hospital said in a prepared statement.
“For the first time clinicians can accurately sample a wound in situ to determine if bacteria are present as well as more effectively debride a wound under fluorescence visualisation. These are fundamental areas of everyday wound care that have remained suboptimal for too long, until now,” MolecuLight founder & chief scientific officer Dr. Ralph DaCosta said in a press release.
Last week, Smith & Nephew said it closed the $210 million acquisition of Rotation Medical and its regenerative shoulder repair treatment.