Wound Care Alginate Dressing

An alginate dressing is a wound dressing which contains alginate fibers derived from seaweed these dressings are used in the management of wounds which are producing a great deal of exudate such as deep sores.

Wound care alginate dressing. Pat the wound dry. An alginate wound dressing contains sodium and calcium derived from seaweed and come in the form of flat dressings. This turns the dressing into a hydrophilic gel that maintains a moist environment for the wound. If required place a secondary dressing on top the alginate to hold it in place and to absorb excess fluid.

In general using an alginate dressing is a straightforward process that follows the best practices of wound care. Alginate dressings come in several forms. In the effect on epithelialisation or dermal inflammation there was no statistically significant difference at significance level 5 among the four alginate dressings as. Alginate dressings alginate dressings are composed of calcium alginate a gelatinous and water insoluble substance.

Pdf on apr 2 2014 willi paul and others published alginate wound dressing. The alginate fibers are easily biodegradable and offer a moist environment that speeds up the healing process and helps with the formation of granulation tissue. As a highly absorbent wound care choice an individual alginate wound dressing can absorb up to 15 to 20 times its own weight which makes these dressings really work for excessively secreting wounds. They can also be used on dry wounds when combined with a sterile saline solution made from natural alginate fibers derived from brown seaweed calcium.

Kaltostat mean 1 8 0 3 left significantly p 0 038 more dressing residues on the wound surface at dressing removal than the comfeel alginate dressing mean 0 8 0 2. Calcium alginate dressings are a strong versatile and natural wound care dressing typically applied to diabetic wounds venous wounds full thickness burns split thickness graft donor sites pressure ulcers cavity wounds and chronic ulcers. Place the alginate dressing on the wound. Use saline or wound cleanser to clean the wound area.

Ropes which can be used to fill areas of undermining or tunneling. Sheets which can be placed on wound beds to absorb moisture. When in contact with a wound the calcium alginate in the dressing reacts with sodium chloride from the wound. Alginate dressings with silver display effective antimicrobial action against bacteria and also release silver ions into the wound depending on the exudate amount which is present.

There are many self adhesive alginate dressings but some are non adherent types also and will need a secondary dressing. And alginate tipped applicators that can be used to probe and measure wounds and are less likely than cotton tipped applicators to cause an inflammatory reaction if any wisps.