Here - EWMA 2013

POSTER: DRESSINGS
Poster: Dressings
P 272
Characterization of non-adherent fibrous dressing for Negative
Pressure Wound Therapy
Tingyu Shih 1 , Yu-Hua Chen 1 , Jean-Dean Yang 1 , Jui-Hsiang Chen 1
1 Industrial Technology Research Institute (Hsin-Chu, Taiwan).
Aim: Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) is an emerging method of treating
hard-to-heal wounds. It consists of a suction pump and a dressing which is placed in the
cavity. Beside the design of pump, the selection of the adequate wound dressing plays
an important role. However, it has shown that the thick, rigid foam can be quiet
uncomfortable for patients. Thus there’s a need to develop novel type of dressing to
minimize the pain and be efficient at transmitting pressure to the wound bed. Here we
aim to develop and evaluate a biocompatible, foldable, non-adherent fibrous dressing
with uniform pressure distribution. First practical experiences with non-adherent fibrous
dressing for NWPT in an animal evaluation study will be presented
Methods: Medical grade hydrophilic polyurethane fiber was first produced by melt
spinning. PU Fibrous wound dressing with spacer specifically for NWPT was knitted.
The in-vitro studies are conducted on tissue phantom to evaluate their vacuum
transmission and fluid management In vivo studies were also used to evaluate effects of
adherent force on wound.
Results: The non-adherent hydrophilic PU fiber was made by melt spinning process.
Soft and foldable fibrous dressing containing supportive spacer was knitted and tested.
In vitro studies show that the upper and lower pressure variation is < 3mmHg. Fluid
transmission rate is comparable to commercial products (polyurethane foam). When
compared to gauze dressing in diabetic rat model, the hydrophilic fibrous NPWT
dressing demonstrated 91.6% lower adherence to the wound bed.
Conclusion: The need and benefits to consider the structure and design of a fibrous
dressing for NPWT has been demonstrated clearly by the discussed experiments.
P 273
AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH TO TREATING A CAVITY WOUND
Poster: Dressings
Dawn Stevens 1 , Adam Derbyshire 2
1
BSN Medical Ltd (Irchester, United Kingdom);
2 Irchester Medical Centre (Irchester, United Kingdom
Aim: To manage via secondary intention, a 5 cm deep cavity wound with high levels of
exudate and peri-wound maceration in a obese patient with reduced mobility and
diabetes.
Method: The wound was initially treated with an antimicrobial dressing plus flucloxacillin
to address the infection. A cavity foam dressing1 was then chosen which was soft,
conformable and highly absorbent, creating the ideal environment for moist wound
healing. A skin barrier film2 was applied to the peri-wound area to prevent further
maceration. The dressings were used for four weeks with the foam changed every day
and the skin barrier film applied every third dressing change.
Results: After three weeks the wound had reduced from 2 cm x 3 cm x 5 cm to 1.8 cm x
2.2 cm x 3.4 cm. Peri-wound skin had significantly improved allowing for better adhesion
of the secondary dressing. The district nursing team decided to continue using a sterile
foam dressing* and a protective cream** in combination through to complete wound
healing.
Conclusion: For the management of a cavity wound it is desirable to use a dressing
which retains integrity when saturated, ensuring easy removal and non fibre shredding
as well as conform to the wound. The foam helped to control exudate levels, was easily
removed and did not leave fibres within the wound bed. The patient also reported no
pain during dressing removal. Working in combination with a good skin barrier film
enabled vulnerable skin to heal and prevented further damage from occurring.
*Cutimed Cavity
**Cutimed PROTECT
EWMA 2013
COPENHAGEN
15-17 May · 2013
Danish Wound
Healing Society
165