Smith and Nephew announce expansion of label for instrument

Smith and Nephew’s UK-based Advance Wound Management division has announced that the FDA has expanded the label of its wound management product, Versajet, to reflect the variety of tasks it can perform.

Versajet works by firing a “hair-thin” pressurised jet of water at supersonic speed into wounds to clear out diseased, dead or contaminated tissues with precision. It is already used in orthopaedic, vascular, plastic and general surgery applications, but the new label extension allows the device to be used on burns.

Dr Oliver Rennekampff, a burns specialist, remarked: “As a result of our clinical experience gained from the use with the Versajet system, this modality represents a useful and adjunctive tool for the debridement and management of thermally injured tissue.”

“Its ability to debride irregular and complex contours which can often be quite difficult to effect with conventional knives has proven particularly advantageous,” he added.

Joe Woody, president of Smith and Nephew’s Advanced Wound Management division, stated: “Versajet’s ability to effectively remove dead and contaminated tissue while preserving the healthy, living tissue below continues to benefit patients and surgeons.”

Smith and Nephew employs approximately 1,250 people at its headquarters in Hull, which is the company’s main manufacturing facility. It also produces the Allevyn range of medical dressings and is one of Hull’s oldest companies, according to Industry Magazine.

Some 60 per cent of the company’s global sales emanate from products manufactured in Hull.

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