Smith+Nephew announces new evidence supporting ALLEVYN LIFE Foam Dressing’s role in pressure injury prevention

Smith+Nephew (NYSE:SNN; LSE:SN), the global medical technology company is pleased to announce exciting data for its ALLEVYN LIFE Dressing in a recent study by Professor Amit Gefen and his research group published in the International Wound Journal,¹ that shows a novel mechanism of action relating to pressure injury prevention (PIP).

The study found that due to the independent and non-bonded internal layers of 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 in a bonded dressing.¹

The results show that layer-on-layer frictional sliding of ALLEVYN LIFE Dressing absorbs 30-45% of the mechanical energy, which could help alleviate pressure injury incidence in a patient's skin and underlying soft tissues. This novel mechanism of action further adds to our understanding of how multi-layer dressings such as ALLEVYN LIFE work when used prophylactically for PIP.¹

“Based on my extensive, decades-long research in pressure ulcer/injury prevention, I am certain that an effective prevention dressing must contain a shear mitigation mechanism,” said Amit Gefen, Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Tel Aviv University. “My recent study published in the International Wound Journal on ALLEVYN LIFE Dressing revealed the role of its unique internal frictional layer-on-layer sliding which, together with its specific construct and material composition, facilitate effective shear mitigation.”

“Pressure injuries have a high burden on patients and healthcare systems,” said Rohit Kashyap, President, Advanced Wound Management at Smith+Nephew. “This alignment of the laboratory findings with the clinical literature clearly demonstrates the enhanced clinical efficacy of ALLEVYN LIFE Dressings in helping reduce the burden of preventable pressure injuries as one of the only 5-layer foam dressings with independent, non-bonded layers.”

Pressure injuries remain one of the most significant healthcare challenges globally that affects patients of all ages.¹ On average, a pressure injury leads to increased healthcare costs of $21,767 per patient and an extra 9.5 days in hospital.⁸

The study introduced a novel method to thoroughly test the frictional sliding capabilities of the independent layers of ALLEVYN LIFE Dressing. A new metric, frictional energy absorber effectiveness (FEAE), was also introduced to quantify the total mechanical energy dissipation of ALLEVYN LIFE Dressing.¹