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-- WITH PHOTO -- TO BUSINESS, HEALTH, AND MEDICAL EDITORS:

Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital First to use PICO* Single Use

Negative Pressure Wound Therapy System from Smith & Nephew

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Feb. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Smith & Nephew plc

(LSE: SN, NYSE: SNN), the global medical technology business,

announces the first use in the United States of the pocket-sized PICO

single use Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) System. Sonya

Ahmed, MD, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Lyndon B. Johnson

General Hospital and Assistant Professor in the Department of

Orthopaedic Surgery at The University of Texas Health Science Center

at Houston (UTHealth) Medical School, applied the PICO system to a

patient's incision following surgery to repair his calcaneal fracture,

or fracture of the heel bone. The PICO system just received FDA

clearance for commercial use in the U.S. Smith & Nephew will exhibit

PICO at the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons' annual meeting in

San Francisco.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110912/SF66336) (Photo:

http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110525/SF08565)

The patient's injury was a result of a high energy fall from a height.

After the surgery to repair the fracture, Dr. Ahmed applied the new

PICO system to the closed surgical wound.

"This type of post-surgical wound is often complicated by

co-morbidities such as diabetes, smoking, obesity and surrounding

vascularity," Dr. Ahmed said. "Early findings have revealed that NPWT

creates an environment that may support less wound complications in

these cases, and when used correctly may reduce long-term

complications. During my first experience with PICO, I removed the

system after 72 hours. The incision was pristine. There were no

signs of ischemia, drainage or desquamation to the surrounding skin or

incision. After one-week follow-up I am pleased with the appearance

of this wound and am anxious to obtain long-term results."

"At LBJ, we aim to provide great medical care in a safe,

compassionate, and cost-conscious manner," said Jessie L. Tucker III,

PhD, Senior Vice President and Administrator of Lyndon B. Johnson

General Hospital. "So we are quick to adopt innovative technologies

that enable us to enhance patient care effectively and efficiently. We

are proud to have had the first case with PICO in the U.S."

In addition to the traditional indications for NPWT, the PICO system

is indicated for closed surgical incisions. This use of NPWT expands

the application of NPWT to include patients recovering from

orthopaedic, plastic and general surgeries, to help reduce surgical

site complications in high-risk patients or those undergoing high-risk

procedures. There are 28 million surgical incisions in the U.S.

annually, 10% to 15% of which are considered high risk.

With its palm sized, one-button pump and revolutionary dressing

technology that manages fluids without a bulky canister, the PICO

system represents an entirely new way to deliver NPWT and a

significant advancement for the patient, clinician and payer: It

brings NPWT to a wider range of patients. Its simplicity and ease of

use enables more clinicians to use NPWT in a cost-effective manner.

For the payer, the PICO system is more affordable and can

significantly reduce therapy costs associated with traditional NPWT as

it is available off-the-shelf, helping to conserve and manage

healthcare resources.

"LBJ Hospital aims to provide the highest quality care within tight

economic limits," said Thomas Dugan, President, Smith & Nephew

Advanced Wound Management, North America. "Smith & Nephew is committed

to innovation that reduces the human and economic costs of wounds.

Reflecting this commitment, we built our PICO system to help

clinicians make NPWT available to a broader range of patients at a

lower cost. We are delighted to have supported Dr. Ahmed and LBJ

Hospital in this way and we are excited by the rapid and enthusiastic

adoption we are seeing in hospitals across the U.S."

Participating clinicians can see the PICO system in the Smith & Nephew

Booth ‥4947 at AAOS 2012 in San Francisco, from February 7--11, 2012.

More information is available at the PICO system's mobile compatible

website, www.possiblewithpico.com. Please follow @woundcare on

Twitter for the latest news from the Advanced Wound Management

division of Smith & Nephew. Clinicians and patients may also refer to

the 24/7 negative pressure wound therapy hotline, 866-998-NPWT (6798),

for more information about the NPWT portfolio of products from Smith &

Nephew.

About Smith & Nephew Smith & Nephew is a global medical technology

business dedicated to helping improve people's lives. With leadership

positions in Orthopaedic Reconstruction, Advanced Wound Management,

Sports Medicine, Trauma and Clinical Therapies, Smith & Nephew has

almost 11,000 employees and a presence in more than 90 countries.

Annual sales in 2011 were nearly $4.3 billion. Smith & Nephew is a

member of the FTSE100 (LSE: SN, NYSE: SNN).

Forward-Looking Statements This document may contain forward-looking

statements that may or may not prove accurate. For example,

statements regarding expected revenue growth and trading margins,

market trends and our product pipeline are forward-looking

statements. Phrases such as "aim", "plan", "intend", "anticipate",

"well-placed", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target", "consider"

and similar expressions are generally intended to identify

forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known

and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that

could cause actual results to differ materially from what is expressed

or implied by the statements. For Smith & Nephew, these factors

include: economic and financial conditions in the markets we serve,

especially those affecting health care providers, payors and

customers; price levels for established and innovative medical

devices; developments in medical technology; regulatory approvals,

reimbursement decisions or other government actions; product defects

or recalls; litigation relating to patent or other claims; legal

compliance risks and related investigative, remedial or enforcement

actions; strategic actions, including acquisitions and dispositions

and our success in integrating acquired businesses; and numerous other

matters that affect us or our markets, including those of a political,

economic, business or competitive nature. Please refer to the

documents that Smith & Nephew has filed with the U.S. Securities and

Exchange Commission under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as

amended, including Smith & Nephew's most recent annual report on Form

20-F, for a discussion of certain of these factors.

Any forward-looking statement is based on information available to

Smith & Nephew as of the date of the statement. All written or oral

forward-looking statements attributable to Smith & Nephew are

qualified by this caution. Smith & Nephew does not undertake any

obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement to

reflect any change in circumstances or in Smith & Nephew's

expectations.

*Trademark of Smith & Nephew. Certain marks registered US Patent and

Trademark Office.

SOURCE Smith & Nephew

-0- 02/07/2012

/CONTACT: Thomas Dugan, President,Advanced Wound Management, North America of Smith & Nephew, +1-727-399-3766, or Media, Steve DiMattia, of EVC Group, Inc., +1-646-201-5445, or Phil Cowdy, Analyst/Investor of Smith & Nephew, +44 (0) 20 7401 7646

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/Web Site: http://global.smith-nephew.com

http://www.possiblewithpico.com

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