Medela Presents Research on Wound Care Innovation

MCHENRY, Ill., (November 10, 2020)—Medela LLC announced the release of new data in a peer-reviewed SAWC Fall published poster and white paper supplement to Wounds demonstrating the Medela Invia Liberty Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) System innovates the current NPWT standard of care. Despite many important developments since its inception, NPWT has seen little innovation in the way it is delivered and controlled at the wound bed nor how fluid removal is managed. Medela’s unique Intelligent Pressure Control and Dynamic Exudate Removal technology ensures the prescribed pressure is reliably delivered at the wound bed while dynamically adapting airflow cycles up to 20 times in 5 minutes; preventing blockages and removing fluid more efficiently.  

Common types of wounds include pressure injuries, diabetic foot ulcers, arterial and venous insufficiency ulcers, traumatic wounds, burns, and post-surgical incisions, among others. NPWT uses suction, created by a pressure gradient between the wound bed and the pump, to continuously move fluid away from the wound and create a healing environment. It promotes granulation tissue formation, drains excess fluid and reduces edema, isolates the wound from external infection, and increases blood flow to the wound. These factors not only support better patient health, they help save healthcare costs.

“Chronic wounds are a national and global public health problem with an estimated cost of $28 billion dollars per year,” said Melissa Gonzales, RN, BSN, executive vice president of the Americas of Medela LLC. “NPWT can help heal complex wounds, reduce healing time, and improve quality of life for patients. Medela is honored to help set a new standard of care and we are committed to advancing care through the unique Intelligent Pressure Control and Dynamic Exudate Removal technology in Invia NPWT systems.”

The published data demonstrates how Medela’s Invia Liberty NPWT is able to re-establish the prescribed pressure, while simultaneously clearing 89% of the fluid in less than 20 minutes. Comparatively, the V.A.C.ULTA Therapy System 3M+KCI was unable to reach the same fluid removal throughout the entire two hour study duration. Due to Invia’s ability to remove exudate more efficiently and re-establish a patent system, it was also able to return the wound to the prescribed pressure more quickly and maintain the set pressure at the wound site more effectively. The V.A.C.ULTA system’s inability to effectively remove the fluid directly impacted its ability to maintain the set pressure at the wound bed. 

“The data demonstrates how important it is that NPWT systems are able to dynamically sense and respond to fluid volumes and viscosities as wound conditions change,” said Rey Paglinawan, medical research manager for Medela Healthcare. “Delivering set pressure to the wound bed and maintaining tubing that is patent and clear of fluid is essential for leveraging the full benefits of NPWT, critical for successful wound healing. This can only be realized with a proven and reliable system.”

Medela is committed to research, innovation, and education. Medela provides a NPWT University that includes educational tools needed to set-up and operate the Invia Liberty NPWT system, including instructions, quick cards and training videos. 

Visit medela.us for more information.