A Canadian-made technology for treating persistent, complex wounds and skin conditions

For many long-term care (LTC) residents, pressure injuries and chronic wounds are a painful and persistent reality. With even the most attentive care , these wounds can rapidly develop, resulting in serious pain and decreased quality of life for residents, as well as time consuming and resource-intensive care protocols for care teams to manage.

Looking for a way to reduce the impact of pressure injuries and chronic wounds across the province, Alberta Health Services (AHS) along with the University of Calgary’s W21C Research and Innovation Centre, teamed up with NanoTess to evaluate its novel wound treatment technology, NanoSALV Catalytic.

This project, supported by the CAN Health Network, highlighted NanoSALV Catalytic is a viable resource to integrate within standard of care practices to tackle chronic wounds and has the potential to become a first-line therapy at early stages to minimize wound worsening.

This collaboration led to the adoption of NanoSALV by clinicians across the health system, resulting in a broad applicability of NanoSALV beyond chronic wounds. From post-surgical wounds, skin tears, burns, skin damage caused by incontinence or eczema , and other wounds, NanoSALV has helped thousands of Canadians heal, and has become a part of the standard of care for several LTC homes in Alberta.

The Challenge

Managing chronic wounds is a painful, time consuming and challenging process.

The shared collective challenge in LTC is how we can better heal and reduce chronic wounds—such as diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), venous leg ulcers and pressure injuries—in a way that improves the lives of our residents, providers, and operators.

Current treatment strategies and products for these types of wounds have disadvantages, such as:

lacking early intervention solutions to address the problem once it starts,
not conforming to or sufficiently covering the wound,
causing pain during wearing and/or removal, and
focusing on infected wounds, even when a clean, chronic wound still requires chronic care.

The Solution

The CAN Health Network connected Alberta Health Services (AHS) with NanoTess – a Calgary-based company recognized for its innovative technology that addresses a spectrum of wound and dermatological concerns.

NanoSALV Catalytic has been approved by Health Canada for use in actively promoting healing, managing inflammation, and treating infection. It requires minimal training and is easy to use in its gel-based form.

This means that LTC homes now have a flexible tool to support them as a first line conservative therapy for wound care and skin health. Providing LTC homes with an effective therapy for early-onset wounds (stages 1 and 2 , skin tears) all the way to severe, chronic wounds (stages 3 and 4).

Effective, easy-to-use wound care

The Goal

The purpose of the evalua tion with AHS was to assess the overall impact NanoSALV Catalytic could have on healing chronic wounds in real-world settings as well as the feasibility of potential adoption of the technology. Wound healing over the project duration was measured using U.S. Food and Drug Administration-validated camera technology.

The technology tracked the percentage change in wound area when NanoSALV Catalytic was incorporated within standard of care in comparison to best-in-class dressings within standard of care. The project also examined the overall satisfaction of those using NanoSALV Catalytic (i.e., health care professionals, residents, and family members) with its impact on the healing process, as well as its impact on the workflow surrounding healing, and direct and indirect costs.

The Results

The project found that overall, NanoSALV Catalytic was able to significantly improve the healing of chronic wounds that had been present on average for 20 months (1.69 years).

There was an impressive 57.6% percentage area reduction (PAR) improvement over just four weeks when NanoSALV Catalytic was integrated into standard of care. The use of NanoSALV Catalytic also reduced wound care costs by about 46% in that short time.

The technology’s simple design empowered residents to become more independent in their wound care management and have an influence on their health. Overall, NanoSALV Catalytic improved the quality of life and mental health of residents and their families.