Smith & Nephew to acquire pressure injury monitor maker Leaf
Medical technology company Smith & Nephew has agreed to acquire Leaf Healthcare - the developer of the Leaf Patient Monitoring System for pressure injury prevention and patient mobility monitoring - it announced on Monday.
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The FTSE 100 firm said the transaction followed its successful two-year partnership with Leaf Healthcare as an exclusive distributor and strategic investor.
It said the Leaf Patient Monitoring System was comprised of a small, lightweight, wearable sensor that wirelessly monitored a patient's position and their mobility while in a hospital.
The tracking data was used to automate and document the compliance with prescribed turn protocols for patients at risk of pressure injuries.
An estimated 2.5 million pressure injuries were treated each year in United States acute care facilities alone, with an estimated annual burden of $11bn.
National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP) guidelines recommended a prevention protocol for high-risk patients that included prophylactic foam dressings, preventative skin care including pH balanced skin cleanser, and patient repositioning with early mobilisation.
The Leaf Patient Monitoring System, together with Smith & Nephew's ‘ALLEVYN LIFE’ and ‘ALLEVYN GENTLE BORDER’ and ‘SECURA Skin Care’ products, provided a “comprehensive portfolio” to help customers achieve and optimise pressure injury prevention protocols, the company explained.
In January last year, an independently-conducted randomised controlled trial from Stanford University evaluated optimal patient repositioning, and found that the Leaf Patient Monitoring System induced a 43% relative increase in turning protocol compliance in high-risk patients.
Patients treated with the Leaf sensor were said to be 73% less likely to develop a pressure injury.
“Consistent with our initial strategic investment, Smith & Nephew is focused on providing not just products to treat conditions, but also supporting clinicians with technologies designed for prevention as well as treatment, and helping healthcare facilities reduce the cost of care,” said Smith & Nephew’s president of advanced wound management, Simon Fraser.
“The Leaf Patient Monitoring System is highly complementary to Smith & Nephew's existing wound portfolio and we are excited by the opportunities of expanding this product within our global portfolio.”
Leaf Healthcare co-founder and chief executive officer Barrett Larson said the benefits of patient turning and improved patient mobility were well-recognised, including the potential for shorter hospital stays.
“We are proud of the impact our technology has already made through our existing relationship with Smith & Nephew,” Larson added.
“We are excited by this new opportunity to deploy our award-winning pressure injury prevention technology through Smith & Nephew's extensive advanced wound management portfolio.”
The company said the transaction was expected to close in the second quarter 2019, subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions, and would be financed from existing cash and debt facilities.
Smith & Nephew said the commercial terms of the deal had not been disclosed.