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Research and Development The R&D department of SW Tech has focused on developing new innovative medical device products. Our chemists and engineers have worked with rehabilitation centers, clinical nurses, physicians and university laboratories to develop a family of hot/cold therapy products, wound dressings, protective padding and cushioning devices, and other gel based products. By selecting different combinations of gels, fabrics, foams, polymers and fillers one can tailor products to give the properties best suited to the application. With the intent of continuous product improvement, our customer service department is always listening to any complaints, suggestions, and requests from customers, patients, and practitioners. The research and development staff are busy making new prototypes, developing new production processes, and evaluating new formulations. By selecting the unique combination of polymers, chemicals, fabrics, and many prototypes later, the first microwaveable hot/cold packs were introduced to the market in 1983. From the first three (3) product designs the product line now consists of more than forty (40) shapes and sizes. There is a product designed to apply heat or cold to every part of the body. The original formulation of Elasto-Gel™ is designed to apply gentle heat or cold to the targeted area for a therapeutic treatment of 20-30 minutes. The controlled heat transfer reduces the pain often experienced by the patient when bags of ice or other cold wraps are applied. It also avoids the potential nerve damage that may be inflicted when the nerves are over cooled for a long period of time. (REF) However, in the sports medicine applications it is often desired to have a product that will reduce the swelling quickly or prevent the swelling of an athletic injury. To accommodate the needs of this industry, new gel formulations have been evaluated and SWT has recently introduced the EG9 hot/cold packs and wraps. These products are designed to apply cold to the targeted area for approximately 1 hour and to transfer the heat more quickly and for a longer time than the standard Elasto-Gel™ packs and wraps, while still remaining flexible and retaining the non-leak properties even when punctured. Wound Care and wound prevention was another targeted market when the company was founded in 1981. After many years of design, testing, and evaluation FDA permission to market was granted in 1987 for the Elasto-Gel™ Occlusive wound dressing. The products were introduced in early 1988 and the types of applications have steadily increased. The product exhibits the properties of the ideal dressing (REF). The bacteriostatic/fungistatic properties have proven to be especially important. Clinical applications range from the simplest of wounds, such as, first degree burns, sunburn, and skin tears to complex dangerously infected wounds, such as infected diabetic foot ulcers (ref) or infected compound fractures (ref), stage 1-4 pressure ulcers, and other chronic and traumatic wounds. Elasto-Gel™ has been shown to be effective for palliative wound management. Applying Elasto-Gel™ wound dressings to fungating wounds, which were the result of malignant cell growth, fungal growth was inhibited, which resulted in nearly complete elimination of odor and a significant reduction of pain. Elasto-Gel™ has been shown to be very effective for the reduction and prevention of hypertrophic and keloid scars. (REF) Other applications of Elasto-Gel™ include using it as a bolus material during the radiation treatment to help control the intensity of the radiation, as a wound dressing to cover and protect radiation damaged tissue. Clinicians in The Netherlands have found that application of Elasto-Gel™ to the radiation treatment site and continuing to cover the site with the gel in between radiation treatments, prevented skin breakdown and the full radiation treatment programs could be completed without interruption.
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