Clear Choice Theraputics

INNOVATING, DEVELOPING, AND ADVANCING CARE

What’s in a Name?

Clear Choice Therapeutics is more than just a name.  

  • For decades there has been very limited choices in the NPWT market.
  • The only NPWT dressing option has included an opaque foam wound filler

Now There’s a…

CLEAR CHOICE THERAPEUTICS

…In NPWT 

CCT was founded by two orthopedic surgeons who desired to find a better way to treat their patients and patients around the world.  As surgeons, there are only so many people they could practically treat. By creating an innovative and better NPWT dressing, they could help people around the world obtain better clinical outcomes at a lower cost.   

Brett Freedman, MD
Co-Founder

Dr. Brett A. Freedman, COL, MC is a co-founder of Clear Choice Therapeutics and a co-inventor of the game-changing wound care innovations marketed by Clear Choice Therapeutics. He is an orthopedic spine surgeon, who currently serves as the Chair of Spine Surgery and Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and Neurosurgery at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. Prior to that he served for 24 years in the US Army, which included a tour in Iraq where he earned a Bronze Star for his meritorious service, followed by almost 8 years stationed in Germany where he treated casualties evacuated from Iraq and Afghanistan. It was during his time as a military orthopedic surgeon that he learned how to manage the worst wounds known to man—war wounds. In that experience he learned 2 absolute truths: (1) NPWT is the most effective method for managing open wounds and (2) the sponge is not an ideal wound filler. Sponges cause real problems, that until the PREVENT, have been unanswered for the last 30 years. He is driven to provide the best outcomes for patients, by researching known problems and inventing devices and techniques that produce reliable and effective solutions. This has led to the conception and development of several orthopedic surgical devices. But the next-gen wound care products that have been released by CCT and the exciting ones still yet to come have been his baby. From conception as a resident at Walter Reed to iterative design and development over the last 15 years, he has never lost sight of the impact that an optimized NPWT dressing can and will deliver to military and civilian patients alike. He has published over 200 articles and book chapters and trained over a hundred orthopedic surgeons. He is internationally recognized for his excellence in orthopedic surgery.

Michael Shuler, MD
Co-Founder

Michael Shuler, MD is a Co-Founder of Clear Choice Therapeutics. Dr Shuler grew up in Atlanta, GA and attended the University of North Carolina. He majored in Biology and minored in Chemistry and Business Administration. He attended Johns Hopkins University for Medical School in Baltimore, MD. He trained at Emory University in Atlanta for his residency in Orthopedic Surgery. He completed his training by attending the University of Washington in Seattle, WA for his Hand and Upper Extremity Fellowship.

Dr. Shuler has been active in research and been published over 15 times in peer reviewed articles. He has also received over 25 US and international patents. He has been the principal investigator or co-co-principal investigator in multiple Department of Defense grants totaling over $10,000,000 in funding. He is also a clinically active as a hand and upper extremity orthopedic surgeon in Athens, GA.

The Need for Innovation

  • The black foam dressing (aka, the sponge) upon which traditional NPWT relies has many limitations and drawbacks
    • Proven to be a less-than-ideal wound contact layer
    • Prevents wound visualization
    • Ideal for encouraging tissue ingrowth into the dressing
    • Must be changed every two to three days in acute wounds due to this ingrowth
    • Tissue ingrowth can result in painful tissue removal during dressing changes
    • Foam particles are often easily left behind in the wound bed, causing inflammatory reactions while also removing new healthy granulation tissue in the wound bed
    • The sponge dries out tissue underneath the dressing resulting in damage to sensitive tissues such as tendons and bone. Wound barriers such as petroleum jelly gauzes are required to prevent drying out of these sensitive tissues.
    • Large powerful electronic pumps are needed in order to transmit negative pressure through the foam. A saturated sponge placed under -125 mmHg negative pressure compressed down onto the wound making airtight seals a challenge and dressing placement difficult. The compression of the sponge results in a closure of pathways needed to transmit negative pressure and remove wound exudate.
    • Like a kitchen dish sponge, an NPWT sponge retains fluid and exudate resulting in a foul-smelling bacterial overgrowth on top of the wound
  • The PREVENT Contact Layer and PREVENT Kit will be proven over time to reduce costs and improve healing
    • NPWT is a tedious, often painful experience for both clinical provider and patient. Dressing changes every other day are labor intensive and expensive. In many cases, the dressing changes are too painful to be performed without general anesthesia. The financial cost of trips to the operating room as well as the human costs associated with dressing changes both on an in-patient and out-patient/home health care basis are significant.
    • The wound healing concerns of biofilm development and bacterial colonization associated with wound care and NPWT is well documented. By removing the contaminated sponge on the wound surface, improved wound healing can be obtained. Additionally, by preventing healthy tissue removal with dressing changes due to tissue ingrowth, wounds can heal faster. The PREVENT is a clear choice for improved clinical outcomes and cost savings.
    • The PREVENT allows for reduced negative pressure (-50 to -80 mmHg) and intermittent/cyclic pressures. Both of these modifications have been shown to improve wound healing.