Smith & Nephew has filed a patent for a negative pressure appliance and methods for treating wounds. The invention includes wound dressings with layers for transmission, absorption, and cover, as well as improved fluidic connectors for connecting to a wound site. The patent claims have been canceled. GlobalData’s report on Smith & Nephew gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
Smarter leaders trust GlobalData
According to GlobalData’s company profile on Smith & Nephew, Glucose monitoring wearbles was a key innovation area identified from patents. Smith & Nephew's grant share as of September 2023 was 54%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Negative pressure wound therapy appliance and methods
A recently filed patent (Publication Number: US20230310221A1) describes a negative pressure wound therapy system. The system includes a wound dressing with multiple layers, including a wound contact layer, a material layer, and a cover layer with an orifice. The dressing can be attached to a fluidic connector, which consists of upper and lower film layers, a spacer layer, and a filter. When the connector is attached to the dressing, the filter is positioned above the orifice, and the spacer layer supports the filter, creating a gap between the filter and the material layer.
The fluidic connector also includes a first fluid passage for negative pressure and a second fluid passage for air bleed. The filter is adhered to the top of the spacer layer, and the orifice is located in an off-center position in relation to the wound dressing. The filter is designed to prevent wound exudate from entering the connector. The material layer of the wound dressing is made of foam, and the upper and lower film layers of the connector surround a fluid passage with a flexible compliant material and a porous material, allowing fluid to pass through even if the porous material is kinked or folded over.
The patent also describes a negative pressure therapy apparatus that includes a fluidic connector with a top layer and a bottom layer with apertures. The apparatus includes a wound dressing connected to the connector, with a cover layer and one or more lower layers. A filter is positioned above the cover layer and adjacent to the apertures in the bottom layer. The additional layer extends from below the filter to below the outer edge of the top layer of the connector. The lower layers of the dressing include a wound contact layer, an acquisition distribution layer, and an absorbent layer, with a transmission layer and an obscuring layer in some embodiments. The lower layers can be made of viscose, polyester, polypropylene, cellulose, or a combination thereof. The apparatus also includes a spacer layer between the top and bottom layers of the connector, with the filter positioned below the spacer layer.
Both the negative pressure wound therapy system and the negative pressure therapy apparatus can be connected to a source of negative pressure. The additional layer of the apparatus is adhered to and underlies the filter.
To know more about GlobalData’s detailed insights on Smith & Nephew, buy the report here.
Data Insights
From
The gold standard of business intelligence.
Blending expert knowledge with cutting-edge technology, GlobalData’s unrivalled proprietary data will enable you to decode what’s happening in your market. You can make better informed decisions and gain a future-proof advantage over your competitors.
GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies
