HELIX Vet: A Transformative New Veterinary Wound and Skin Solution
High-quality veterinary disinfection and first aid products that are 1500x more antimicrobial than alcohol, but are as safe as water. As we’ll explore in this article, that’s the HELIX difference.
If you were to ask any given veterinary professional whether they encounter a wide range of skin and eye complications in their practice on a daily basis, the answer would be a resounding “absolutely”. With such a wide array of animal health conditions presented to them, veterinary practices generally require antiseptic skin and wound cleansing solutions that are safe for animals while offering efficacy in a wide range of uses. While this combination sounds perfect in theory, it historically hasn’t always been easy for veterinary clinicians to find.
That’s why we created HELIX Vet. It’s our first professional-grade hypochlorous acid (HOCl) solution that is designed specifically for veterinarians and their non-human patients.
HELIX Vet is available now on our store, so be sure to check it out after learning more below.
What is HELIX?
HELIX is an animal care brand manufactured by Sterasure Inc.. The brand is focused on providing professionals and consumers pure hypochlorous acid (HOCl) products to care for their animals and is actively changing how veterinarians and livestock care experts care for the advanced skin problems and wounds of their furry patients.
HELIX is dedicated to providing pure hypochlorous acid (HOCl) as a natural, chemical-free, no-sting antimicrobial solution for the management of first aid for everything from small animals (pets), to equestrian, to full-scale livestock operations. The HELIX Pet line provides pet owners an economical OTC solution at a slightly lower concentration of HOCl, while HELIX Vet is formulated at a higher concentration for professional use and/or retail in clinic.
HELIX Vet Antimicrobial Skin & Wound Spray offers all the antibacterial, virucidal, and fungicidal benefits of traditional antiseptic solutions in a hyper-stable hypochlorous acid (HOCl) solution that is completely safe for the most sensitive areas of the animal’s skin, including the eyes and mucosal tissue.
Leveraging The Right Hypochlorous Technology for Maximum Results
Hypochlorous acid (HOCl) is a natural part of the immune system's reaction to invading organisms in all mammals. Advances in HOCl manufacturing technology have enabled us to harness its natural mechanism of action, providing us all with the freedom to use HOCl topically wherever (and whenever) necessary. After years of research and development, Sterasure is the only Canadian manufacturer of ultra-stable, ultra-pure, buffer-free hypochlorous acid at a scale able to support the health care industry.
The potent action of hypochlorous makes HELIX Vet Skin and Wound Solution an effective antimicrobial, antipruritic, and anti-inflammatory agent - properties which been proven about HOCl solutions in multiple scientific studies¹⁻⁷. Despite the powerful nature of stabilized HOCl, HELIX Vet is entirely non-toxic, extremely gentle, and has a high safety profile for use in animals of all sizes. HELIX Vet has zero adverse side effects or contraindications, as it rapidly degrades into a salt and water solution.
HELIX Vet Skin and Wound Solution provides a 3-step punch against infection and inflammation:
- Potent antimicrobial action against bacteria, purines, viruses and other microbes
- Gentle yet effective anti-inflammatory action that stops pain, itching and inflammatory response in its tracks
- Wound healing and tissue regeneration through improved blood flow and oxygenation, allowing faster healing of wounds.
Hypochlorous acid is an antimicrobial that inactivates bacteria by inhibiting bacterial growth, cell division, and protein synthesis; oxidizing sulfhydryl enzymes and amino acids; decreasing adenosine triphosphate production; breaking DNA; and depressing DNA synthesis¹⁻³. It also acts as an anti-biofilm agent that promotes wound healing⁴⁻⁷.
For many years, stabilized hypochlorous acid solution has been used successfully as a wound care solution. Hypochlorous acid acts as a self-preservative, protecting the bottled solution from microbial contamination. As a preservative in these solutions, it has a powerful and rapid killing effect in vitro on a broad range of microorganisms if they enter the container. With the HELIX Vet formula, you can experience all of the benefits of hypochlorous acid in a pure, additive-free, and hyper-stable solution.
Applications & Indications
We understand that veterinarians perform vital and life-saving procedures daily. That's why we want to introduce a product that offers the same efficacy as traditional antiseptics, but with the additional benefit of easy and safe application for both veterinary professionals and their patients.
Unlike traditional antiseptics, such as chlorhexidine, that require rinsing when used, HELIX Vet is rinse-free and can be used frequently without adverse reactions. Additionally, no personal protective equipment (PPE) is required when handling HELIX Vet Pure Antimicrobial Skin & Wound Spray because it is free from harmful chemicals. HELIX Vet is ready to use directly from the bottle without any need for mixing or dilution, making it easy to reach for our HELIX Vet Spray, knowing it is effective for disinfection and safe for you and your patients.
You can directly spray HELIX Vet onto the skin, eyes, or wounds, or apply it through a moist dressing. We also offer additional attachments for easy mechanical irrigation of wounds or surgical sites.
Indications for Use
This product can be used for the following purposes:
- Cleansing, irrigating, moistening, debriding, and removing foreign material, including microorganisms and debris, from exudating and/or dirty wounds.
- Treating acute and chronic dermal lesions, such as post-surgical wounds, first and second-degree burns, and rashes.
- Moistening and lubricating absorbent wound dressings.
- Treating minor skin irritations, such as atopic dermatitis.
Clinical Applications
HELIX Vet's Pure Antimicrobial Skin and Wound Spray contains HOCl as its active ingredient, which has been clinically proven to be a highly effective wound care agent⁵. Additionally, HOCl has been proven to be effective in treating a variety of conditions related to livestock veterinary medicine, such as:
- Bovine Keratoconjunctivitis⁸
- Cattle Subclinical Mastitis⁹
- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus contamination of deep wounds¹¹
- Pyoderma¹²
Safety & Efficacy
We believe that safety should never be compromised for efficacy. With HELIX Vet products, veterinarians can truly have both. The product offers traditional disinfection benefits, similar to those of traditional antiseptics, while ensuring complete safety for animals of all sizes. The active ingredient in HELIX products is hypochlorous acid, which has undergone rigorous testing and has shown no adverse effects upon ingestion or inhalation, offering peace of mind.
So, Why Choose HELIX Vet?
When compared to similar products on the market, HELIX Vet offers the following advantages:
- An average of 30% higher concentration of HOCl
- A stable shelf life of two years unopened, 6 months once opened
- Manufactured using only medical-grade organic ingredients
- Free from additives, buffers, and unnecessary chemicals
- Proudly made in Canada
To learn more about our HELIX Vet Antimicrobial Skin & Wound Spray, view the product here!
References
- McKenna, S. M., & Davies, K. J. A. (1988). The inhibition of bacterial growth by hypochlorous acid. Possible role in the bactericidal activity of phagocytes. Biochemical Journal, 254(3), 685-692.
- Knox, W. E., Stumpf, P. K., Green, D. E., & Auerbach, V. H. (1948). The inhibition of sulfhydryl enzymes as the basis of the bactericidal action of chlorine. Journal of bacteriology, 55(4), 451-458.
- Barrette Jr, W. C., Albrich, J. M., & Hurst, J. K. (1987). Hypochlorous acid-promoted loss of metabolic energy in Escherichia coli. Infection and immunity, 55(10), 2518-2525.
- Wang, L., Bassiri, M., Najafi, R., Najafi, K., Yang, J., Khosrovi, B., ... & Robson, M. C. (2007). Hypochlorous acid as a potential wound care agent: part I. Stabilized hypochlorous acid: a component of the inorganic armamentarium of innate immunity. Journal of burns and wounds, 6.
- Sakarya, S., Gunay, N., Karakulak, M., Ozturk, B., & Ertugrul, B. (2014). Hypochlorous acid: an ideal wound care agent with powerful microbicidal, antibiofilm, and wound healing potency. Wounds, 26(12), 342-350.
- Robson, M. C., Payne, W. G., Ko, F., Mentis, M., Donati, G., Shafii, S. M., ... & Bassiri, M. (2007). Hypochlorous acid as a potential wound care agent: part II. Stabilized hypochlorous acid: its role in decreasing tissue bacterial bioburden and overcoming the inhibition of infection on wound healing. Journal of burns and wounds.
- Ramey, D. W., & Kinde, H. (2015). Commercial and homemade extremely dilute hypochlorous acid solutions are bactericidal against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in vitro. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 35(2), 161-164.
- Gard, J., Taylor, D., Maloney, R., Schnuelle, M., Duran, S., Moore, P., ... & O'Conner, A. M. (2016). Preliminary evaluation of hypochlorous acid spray for treatment of experimentally induced infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis. The Bovine Practitioner, 180-189.
- Çetin, H., Hakan, G. E. Ö. Y. E., & Sakarya, U. C. P. S. (2018). Inestigation of Intramammary Hypochlorous Administration in Cattle with Subclinical Mastitis.
- Bajgai, J., Kim, C. S., Rahman, M. H., Fadriquela, A., Thuy, T. T., Song, S. B., & Lee, K. J. (2020). Application of New Concept Disinfectant, Huureka®, On Livestock Farming. 한국물학회지 Vol, 8(1).
- Davis, Gil, J., Li, J., Simms, C., Valdes, J., Solis, M., & Higa, A. (2021). Effect of Mechanical Debridement and Irrigation With Hypochlorous Acid Wound Management Solution on Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Contamination and Healing Deep Dermal Wounds in a Porcine Model. Wound Management & Prevention, 67(8), 24–31. https://doi.org/10.25270/wmp.2021.8.2431
- Berger, D. (2016). Topical treatment of pyoderma. Clinician’s Brief, 20-25.