KCI announces U.S. launch of Skin IQ MCM for pressure ulcers

Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (NYSE: KCI) announced today the U.S. launch of Skin IQ™ Microclimate Manager (Skin IQ™ MCM) through KCI's Therapeutic Support Systems business. Skin IQ™ MCM is a for-sale, powered coverlet offering clinicians one of the most effective and intuitive products available for the prevention and management of pressure ulcers.

“Pressure ulcers continue to present serious challenges for health care professionals across all settings, resulting in compromised quality of life for many patients and significantly increasing cost of care”

An estimated 10-18 percent of patients in hospitals and other acute care facilities suffer from pressure ulcers, and hospitalizations due to pressure ulcers rose 80 percent between 1993 and 2006. The estimated cost of treating a stage III or IV pressure ulcer can approach $40,000, which places a serious financial burden on health care institutions.

"Pressure ulcers continue to present serious challenges for health care professionals across all settings, resulting in compromised quality of life for many patients and significantly increasing cost of care," said Stephen Seidel, president, KCI Therapeutic Support Systems. "As its name implies, Skin IQ™ MCM features a highly intelligent design that meets facility, clinician and patient needs as we work to further reduce the incidence and prevalence of pressure ulcers around the world."

Skin IQ™ MCM is a waterproof, vapor-permeable coverlet with bacterial barrier that uses KCI's proprietary Negative Airflow Technology to actively reduce excess moisture and the temperature of the skin's surface. This reduction in moisture and temperature is intended to help reduce the risk of maceration and the coefficient of friction, further reducing the shear forces that twist and tear the underlying blood vessels. Used in combination with a pressure redistribution mattress, such as the AtmosAir™ 9000 MRS, Skin IQ™ MCM provides an excellent alternative to conventional Low-Air-Loss therapy. Skin IQ™ MCM is also designed to be compatible with many of the pressure redistribution mattresses on the market today.

"Controlling microclimate is an important and often overlooked area of pressure ulcer prevention," stated Joyce Black, Ph.D., RN of the University of Nebraska, a leading expert and former president of the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP). "It may be the missing link in providing the best skin care for patients. When heat and humidity rise in the skin, more blood and oxygen are needed, and with skin under pressure these nutrients cannot be supplied."

Both acute and long-term care facilities can benefit from Skin IQ™ MCM in the management of patients' skin integrity. When used with a facility-owned pressure redistribution mattress, the single-patient-use design of Skin IQ™ MCM:

• Enables facilities to stock product on-site
• Offers considerable workflow benefits and fewer steps to initiate therapy
• Allows nurses to spend more time in the direct treatment of their patients
• Provides streamlined surface and protocol selection
• May help to reduce nosocomial risk as the result of earlier therapy initiation