Chronic wound healing has many phases and, as such, wounds require dressings which can respond to the changes in exudate production and effectively protect the surrounding skin. ActivHeal® Foam has a new formulation which improves the dressing’s ability to handle exudate. This article looks at the key features of foam dressings, considers the importance of cost-effectiveness when considering treatments and presents a case where ActivHeal® was used to treat a patient after cardiac surgery who developed an infected femoral line site.