Journal Articles

Controlling exudate and promoting healing of a chronic wound

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Controlling exudate and promoting healing of a chronic wound

Frances McCreadie, Lindsay Maccallum
17 September 2012

Background: Up to 200,000 people in the UK have a chronic wound with the cost of treatment estimated to be between £2.3bn and £3.1bn per year and increasing (Posnett and Franks, 2008). Following the advancement of the concept of moist wound healing (Winter, 1962) the focus has moved to chronic wound care and the development of dressings that promote a moist environment to assist healing (Harding et al, 2002). Aim: To provide an insight into the clinical performance of ActivHeal Aquafiber® (Advanced Medical Solutions) in controlling exudate and promoting healing of a chronic wound in a patient with type 2 diabetes. Method: ActivHeal Aquafiber was used on a patient with type 2 diabetes and a chronic heavily exuding category 3 pressure ulcer, which had become hard to heal. The wound was assessed over a six-week period, during which dressing changes took place every second day. Dressings were assessed for the ability to manage exudate, the ability to maintain a moist environment, conformability and comfort levels. Results: ActivHeal Aquafiber was evaluated by the nurses over a period of six weeks. During this time, the dressing was found to be effective at managing the patient’s exudate level. Furthermore, the amount of slough in the wound was greatly reduced and the wound continued to heal and reduce in size. Conclusion: Although healing was delayed by a number of factors, it demonstrated that ActivHeal Aquafiber created a moist wound healing environment which provided optimum conditions for wound healing to occur. The dressing aided autolysis, supported granulation, effectively absorbed exudate and maintained a moist wound environment to enable wound progression.

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