Smith+Nephew’s ALLEVYN™ LIFE Sacrum Foam Dressing and LEAF™ Patient Monitoring System receive ‘favorable’ Evidence Bar™ ratings from ECRI for pressure injury prevention

Rhea-AI Summary

Smith+Nephew (LSE:SN, NYSE:SNN) announces ECRI's upgraded 'favorable' Evidence Bar ratings for their ALLEVYN LIFE Sacrum Foam Dressings and LEAF Patient Monitoring System in pressure injury prevention. The ALLEVYN LIFE Sacrum Foam Dressing features a multilayer design for managing chronic and acute wounds, while the LEAF System is a wireless solution improving turn protocol adherence up to 98% and reducing hospital-acquired pressure injuries odds by 73%.

The LEAF System has demonstrated improved nursing efficiencies and generated up to $1.8 million estimated annual cost savings in one facility's critical care units. Hospital-acquired pressure injuries cost an estimated 60,000 lives and $26.8 billion in the US annually. These ratings strengthen Smith+Nephew's position in pressure injury prevention solutions.

Positive

• ECRI upgraded ratings to 'favorable' for both ALLEVYN LIFE Sacrum and LEAF System
• LEAF System improves turn protocol adherence up to 98%
• LEAF System reduces hospital-acquired pressure injuries odds by 73%
• LEAF System generates up to $1.8M annual cost savings per facility's critical care units

Negative

• None.

Insights

Medical Research Analyst

The ECRI's upgraded 'favorable' Evidence Bar rating for both the ALLEVYN LIFE Sacrum Foam Dressing and LEAF Patient Monitoring System represents a significant clinical validation in the pressure injury prevention market. The LEAF system's demonstrated ability to improve turn protocol adherence to 98% and reduce hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) odds by 73% is particularly noteworthy from a clinical perspective.

The annual cost implications are substantial - with HAPIs costing $26.8 billion yearly in the US alone. One facility's critical care units achieved estimated annual savings of up to $1.8 million using the LEAF System. The ALLEVYN LIFE dressing's unique layer-on-layer sliding mechanism for mechanical energy dissipation represents an innovative approach to pressure injury prevention that goes beyond traditional foam dressings.

This dual validation strengthens Smith+Nephew's position in the advanced wound care market, particularly important given that pressure injuries claim approximately 60,000 lives annually in the US. The combination of mechanical protection and digital monitoring creates a comprehensive prevention strategy that aligns with current healthcare trends toward evidence-based, technology-enabled care solutions.

Healthcare Economics Expert

The ECRI validation carries substantial weight in healthcare purchasing decisions and insurance coverage determinations. This favorable rating could accelerate institutional adoption and potentially improve reimbursement prospects for both products. The demonstrated cost savings of up to $1.8 million annually in just one facility's critical care units presents a compelling economic argument for healthcare administrators.

The market impact extends beyond direct product revenues. With pressure injuries representing a $26.8 billion annual burden in the US healthcare system, solutions that demonstrably reduce HAPI incidence by 73% offer significant value proposition to healthcare providers facing penalties for hospital-acquired conditions. The improved nursing efficiencies reported with the LEAF System add another layer of economic benefit in the current healthcare staffing crisis.

Smith+Nephew (LSE:SN, NYSE:SNN), the global medical technology company, today announces that ECRI – leaders in advancing evidence-based healthcare globally - have completed updated Clinical Evidence Assessments of ALLEVYN LIFE Sacrum Foam Dressings and the LEAF Patient Monitoring System. In their latest reports, ECRI upgraded its Evidence Bar ratings for both to favorable* after assessing the most recently published clinical evidence and key outcomes for pressure injury prevention.

The ECRI Evidence Bar provides a visual representation of ECRI’s view of the benefits and harms of the technology. Their reports, ratings and conclusions do not constitute a recommendation or endorsement of any product or technology. ECRI is an independent and non-profit organization focused on improving the safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness of health care globally. ECRI’s Clinical Evidence Reports are utilized by third-party payers and health care providers as a means of making informed and objective evidence-based decisions.

Smith+Nephew’s ALLEVYN LIFE Sacrum Foam Dressing is indicated to manage chronic and acute exudative and granulating wounds on the sacrum and to help prevent sacral pressure injuries. The dressing has a multilayer design that includes a hydrocellular foam pad that indicates when the dressing requires changing,^1,2 a perforated adhesive wound contact layer^1,3,4 coated with silicone gel, a showerproof breathable outer layer, an absorbent lock-away core,^5,6 and a masking layer to hide the exudate.^1,2 Due to independent and non-bonded internal layers of the ALLEVYN LIFE Dressing, a layer-on-layer sliding phenomenon occurs and allows for dissipation of mechanical energy that could otherwise be transferred to the patient. This distinct mode of action could help alleviate pressure injury incidence in a patient's skin and in the underlying soft tissues.⁷

Smith+Nephew’s LEAF Patient Monitoring System is a wearable, wireless solution that meets the recommendations in the National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP) guidelines.⁸ The LEAF System is proven to help improve adherence to individualized turn protocols up to 98%^9,10 and has been shown to help reduce the odds of developing hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) by 73%.^10†  

Use of the LEAF System helped improve nursing efficiencies,^11,12 and generated up to $1.8 million estimated annual cost savings in one facility's critical care units.^11,13

“Hospital-acquired pressure injuries represent a significant burden to global healthcare systems and cost an estimated 60,000 lives¹⁴ and $26.8 billion¹⁵ in the US each year.” said Rohit Kashyap, President Advanced Wound Management at Smith+Nephew. “The ECRI ‘favorable’ rating for both our ALLEVYN LIFE Sacral Foam Dressing and LEAF Patient Monitoring System further demonstrates Smith+Nephew’s commitment to improving healthcare practices and outcomes in pressure injury prevention.”

ALLEVYN LIFE Foam Dressings and the LEAF Patient Monitoring System are part of Smith+Nephew’s comprehensive Advanced Wound Management portfolio – shaping what’s possible in wound care. To learn more about Smith+Nephew’s pressure injury prevention solutions, please click here.

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Media Enquiries
Dave Snyder                +1 (978) 749-1440
Smith+Nephew        david.snyder@smith-nephew.com

*    ECRI Evidence Bar™ Definition: A visualization of ECRI’s judgement about the balance of benefits and harms of the technology after assessing the available published clinical evidence in light of key outcomes and comparisons of interest.

†   p=0.012

References

1. Tiscar-González V, Menor-Rodríguez MJ, Rabadán-Sainz C, et al. Clinical and Economic Impact of Wound Care Using a Polyurethane Foam Multilayer Dressing. Adv Skin Wound Care. 2021;34(1):23-30.
2. Simon D, Bielby A. A structured collaborative approach to appraise the clinical performance of a new product. Wounds UK. 2014;10(3):80 - 87.
3. Smith+Nephew 2016.Product Performance of Next Generation ALLEVYN Life Internal Report. (HVT080) GMCA-DOF/08.
4. Smith+Nephew 2016.Permeability of Hydrophillic Polyurethane Film when in contact with water and water vapour (ALLEVYN LIFE). Internal Report. RD/16/019.
5. Smith+Nephew 2016.New ALLEVYN Life Gen2 wcl - Physical Testing. Internal Report. DS/15/025/R.
6. Smith+Nephew 2016.Wound Model Testing of New ALLEVYN Life Gen2 wcl Dressing using Horse Serum at a Flow Rate Modelling that of a Moderately Exuding Wound. DS/14/303/R.
7. Marché C, Creehan S, Gefen A. The frictional energy absorber effectiveness and its impact on the pressure ulcer prevention performance of multilayer dressings. Int Wound J. 2024; 21(4):e14871.
8. European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel, National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel and Pan Pacific Pressure Injury Alliance. Prevention and Treatment of Pressure Ulcers/Injuries: Clinical Practice Guideline. Emily Haesler (Ed.) EPUAP/NPIAP/PPPIA: 2019.
9. Schutt SC, Tarver C, Pezzani M. Pilot study: Assessing the effect of continual position monitoring technology on compliance with patient turning protocols. Nurs Open. 2017;5(1):21-28.
10. Pickham D, Berte N, Pihulic M, Valdez A, Mayer B, Desai M. Effect of a wearable patient sensor on care delivery for preventing pressure injuries in acutely ill adults: A pragmatic randomized clinical trial (LS-HAPI study). Int J Nurs Stud. 2018;80:12-19.
11. Smith+Nephew 2020.Leveraging novel technology to decrease hospital-acquired pressure injuries. Internal Report. EO.AWM.PCS006.001.v1.
12. Rogers M. Reducing Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries (HAPI) in Long-term Acute Care with Turn Cueing Technology. Poster presented at: American Organization for Nursing Leadership; March 18- March 21, 2020; Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
13. Gasparini R, Derisma Q, Hannon R. “Turning” to Technology: Reducing Hospital Acquired Pressure Injuries in Critical Care with Visual Turn Cueing. Poster presented at: National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel Annual Conference; March 10- March 12, 2021; Virtual Conference.
14. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality website. Preventing pressure ulcers in hospitals: a toolkit for improving quality of care. (PDF). Updated October 2014. Accessed October 2024. https://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/systems/hospital/pressureulcertoolkit/putool1.html
15. Padula WV, Delarmente BA. The national cost of hospital-acquired pressure injuries in the United States. Int Wound J. 2019;16(3):634-640.
    
    

About Smith+Nephew

Smith+Nephew is a portfolio medical technology business focused on the repair, regeneration and replacement of soft and hard tissue. We exist to restore people’s bodies and their self-belief by using technology to take the limits off living. We call this purpose ‘Life Unlimited’. Our 18,000 employees deliver this mission every day, making a difference to patients’ lives through the excellence of our product portfolio, and the invention and application of new technologies across our three global business units of Orthopaedics, Sports Medicine & ENT and Advanced Wound Management.

Founded in Hull, UK, in 1856, we now operate in more than 100 countries, and generated annual sales of $5.5 billion in 2023. Smith+Nephew is a constituent of the FTSE100 (LSE:SN, NYSE:SNN). The terms ‘Group’ and ‘Smith+Nephew’ are used to refer to Smith & Nephew plc and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless the context requires otherwise.

For more information about Smith+Nephew, please visit www.smith-nephew.com and follow us on X, LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook.

Forward-looking Statements

This document may contain forward-looking statements that may or may not prove accurate. For example, statements regarding expected revenue growth and trading profit margins, market trends and our product pipeline are forward-looking statements. Phrases such as "aim", "plan", "intend", "anticipate", "well-placed", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target", "consider" and similar expressions are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from what is expressed or implied by the statements. For Smith+Nephew, these factors include: conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, economic and financial conditions in the markets we serve, especially those affecting healthcare providers, payers and customers; price levels for established and innovative medical devices; developments in medical technology; regulatory approvals, reimbursement decisions or other government actions; product defects or recalls or other problems with quality management systems or failure to comply with related regulations; litigation relating to patent or other claims; legal and financial compliance risks and related investigative, remedial or enforcement actions; disruption to our supply chain or operations or those of our suppliers; competition for qualified personnel; strategic actions, including acquisitions and disposals, our success in performing due diligence, valuing and integrating acquired businesses; disruption that may result from transactions or other changes we make in our business plans or organisation to adapt to market developments; relationships with healthcare professionals; reliance on information technology and cybersecurity; disruptions due to natural disasters, weather and climate change related events; changes in customer and other stakeholder sustainability expectations; changes in taxation regulations; effects of foreign exchange volatility; and numerous other matters that affect us or our markets, including those of a political, economic, business, competitive or reputational nature. Please refer to the documents that Smith+Nephew has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including Smith+Nephew's most recent annual report on Form 20-F, which is available on the SEC’s website at www. sec.gov, for a discussion of certain of these factors. Any forward-looking statement is based on information available to Smith+Nephew as of the date of the statement. All written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to Smith+Nephew are qualified by this caution. Smith+Nephew does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect any change in circumstances or in Smith+Nephew's expectations.

^◊ Trademark of Smith+Nephew. Certain marks registered in US Patent and Trademark Office.

FAQ

What is the effectiveness of Smith+Nephew's (SNN) LEAF System in preventing pressure injuries?

The LEAF System reduces hospital-acquired pressure injuries odds by 73% and improves turn protocol adherence up to 98%, while generating up to $1.8 million in estimated annual cost savings per facility's critical care units.

How does Smith+Nephew's (SNN) ALLEVYN LIFE Sacrum Foam Dressing work?

ALLEVYN LIFE Sacrum features a multilayer design with a hydrocellular foam pad, perforated adhesive wound contact layer, showerproof breathable outer layer, absorbent lock-away core, and masking layer to hide exudate.

What is the significance of ECRI's favorable rating for Smith+Nephew (SNN) products?

ECRI's favorable rating, from an independent non-profit organization, validates the clinical evidence and effectiveness of both ALLEVYN LIFE Sacrum and LEAF System in pressure injury prevention.

What is the economic impact of hospital-acquired pressure injuries that Smith+Nephew (SNN) products address?

Hospital-acquired pressure injuries cost approximately $26.8 billion annually in the US and result in an estimated 60,000 lives lost each year.