Smith & Nephew has been granted a patent for a wound treatment apparatus that includes a wound dressing with a material layer comprising cells separated by cuts, allowing the dressing to conform to non-planar surfaces. The dressing also has a backing layer with orifices, a wound contact layer, and a fluidic connector for negative pressure treatment. The cells are connected by bridging portions that have a smaller height than the surrounding cell portions. GlobalData’s report on Smith & Nephew gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.

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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.

Wound dressing with improved trimming and sealing capabilities

Source: United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Credit: Smith & Nephew Plc

A recently granted patent (Publication Number: US11771796B2) describes a wound treatment apparatus that includes a wound dressing designed to be placed over a wound site. The wound dressing consists of multiple layers, including a material layer with a grid pattern of rectangular-shaped cells. These cells are partially separated from each other along the majority of every side, allowing the material layer to conform to non-planar surfaces. The material layer is covered by a backing layer with at least one orifice and a wound contact layer sealed to the backing layer. A fluidic connector is positioned over the orifice to provide negative pressure to the wound site.

The patent claims also mention that the cells can have various shapes, including square, rectangle, circle, pentagon, hexagon, octagon, and triangle. The cuts along the material layer are parallel to a first orientation and may also include cuts parallel to a second orientation perpendicular to the first orientation. The bridging portions that connect the cells have a smaller height than the surrounding cell portions.

Another embodiment of the wound treatment apparatus described in the patent includes a foam layer with a grid pattern of cells arranged in a regularly repeating rectangular-shaped pattern. Similar to the previous embodiment, the cells are partially connected to adjacent cells along every side and physically separated from adjacent cells along the majority of every side. The foam layer allows for conformity to non-planar surfaces. The remaining layers of this embodiment are the same as the previous one.

Overall, this patent presents a wound treatment apparatus with a unique design that allows for improved conformability to non-planar surfaces. The grid pattern of cells in the material or foam layer, along with the bridging portions, ensures a continuous layer that can effectively provide negative pressure to the wound site. The various shapes and orientations of the cells offer flexibility in design and application. This innovation has the potential to enhance wound healing and improve patient comfort during the treatment process.

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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 across the world’s largest industries.