Evaluation of foam dressings in chronic wounds

NewsBot · May 22, 2006

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A Prospective, Open-Label Study to Assess the Clinical Performance of a Foam Dressing in the Management of Chronic Wounds
Ostomy Wound Management Volume 52 - Issue 5 - May 2006 - Pages: 34 - 44

Polyurethane foam dressings are used to help absorb wound exudate while maintaining a moist wound environment. To assess the clinical performance of a foam dressing, a prospective, open-label evaluation of 57 outpatients (mean age 69 years) with delayed/non-healing wounds (one per patient, average duration 1.4 ± 4.1 years) of different etiologies was conducted in 15 medical centers in Germany. Physicians assessed the clinical appearance of the wound bed, periwound skin, and exudate level at the beginning and final evaluation and dressing performance characteristics were rated. Patients were asked to assess their wound pain as none, mild, moderate, or strong. After three dressing changes (performed approximately 3 days apart), slough and necrotic tissue on the wound surface changed from an average of 54% (± 33%) to 29% (± 25%). At baseline, granulation tissue covered an average of 41% (± 31%) of the wound bed compared to 59% (± 24%) at the final assessment and the proportion of wounds assessed as heavily exudating decreased from 32% to 11%. During the evaluation, the proportion of patients without periwound skin problems increased from 49% to 66% and the percentage of patients with wound pain decreased from 45% to 26%. Between 80% and 90% of the participating physicians rated the product attributes assessed as “very good” or “good.”
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trudi powell · Sep 2, 2006

I love to use Polymem or Allevyn for most of my ulcer dressings. Depending on exudate I'll add a little Solosite gel. I haven't used Lyofoam much, as it works better with wounds with more exudate. The latest trend for some of the wound management nurses is Idosorb ( known colloquially as 'Curry Powder' ) sprinkled onto the wound and covered with a dry dressing.

Polymem works brilliantly for that really deep H/molle, if put on and kept dry for 4-6 days. Keep the foot dry in the shower by pulling a latex glove onto the foot up to the Mid-Tarsal Jt. Works really well for most patients.

What are you using for ulcer dressings ??

ajs · Feb 3, 2009

do you feel that using iodosorb powder leaves the wound and its perimeter with a crusty eschar which may cause more problems???

i've used iodosorb paste when on prac (yes i'm still learning the ropes) which to me makes more sense when using to treat particular ulcers

thoughts???

NewsBot · Jun 8, 2013

Foam dressings for healing diabetic foot ulcers.
Dumville JC, Deshpande S, O'Meara S, Speak K.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013 Jun 6;6:CD00911

BACKGROUND:
Foot ulcers in people with diabetes are a prevalent and serious global health issue. Dressings form a key part of ulcer treatment, with clinicians and patients having many different types to choose from. A clear and current overview of current evidence is required to facilitate decision-making regarding dressing use.

OBJECTIVES:
The review aimed to evaluate the effects of foam wound dressings on the healing of foot ulcers in people with diabetes.

SEARCH METHODS:
For this first update we searched the following databases the Cochrane Wounds Group Specialised Register; The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library); Ovid MEDLINE; Ovid MEDLINE (In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations); Ovid EMBASE; and EBSCO CINAHL in April 2013. There were no restrictions based on language or date of publication.

SELECTION CRITERIA:
Published or unpublished randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated the effects on ulcer healing of one or more foam wound dressings in the treatment of foot ulcers in people with diabetes.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS:
Two review authors independently performed study selection, risk of bias assessment and data extraction.

MAIN RESULTS:
We included six studies (157 participants) in this review. Meta analysis of two studies indicated that foam dressings do not promote the healing of diabetic foot ulcers compared with basic wound contact dressings (RR 2.03, 95%CI 0.91 to 4.55). Pooled data from two studies comparing foam and alginate dressing found no statistically significant difference in ulcer healing (RR 1.50, 95% CI 0.92 to 2.44). There was no statistically significant difference in the number of diabetic foot ulcers healed when foam dressings were compared with hydrocolloid (matrix) dressings. All included studies were small and/or had limited follow-up times.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS:
Currently there is no research evidence to suggest that foam wound dressings are more effective in healing foot ulcers in people with diabetes than other types of dressing however all trials in this field are very small. Decision makers may wish to consider aspects such as dressing cost and the wound management properties offered by each dressing type e.g. exudate management.
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NewsBot · Feb 22, 2024

Fluid handling by foam wound dressings: From engineering theory to advanced laboratory performance evaluations
Amit Gefen et al
Int Wound J. 2024 Feb;21(2):e14674

This article describes the contemporary bioengineering theory and practice of evaluating the fluid handling performance of foam-based dressings, with focus on the important and clinically relevant engineering structure-function relationships and on advanced laboratory testing methods for pre-clinical quantitative assessments of this common type of wound dressings. The effects of key wound dressing material-related and treatment-related physical factors on the absorbency and overall fluid handling of foam-based dressings are thoroughly and quantitively analysed. Discussions include exudate viscosity and temperature, action of mechanical forces and the dressing microstructure and associated interactions. Based on this comprehensive review, we propose a newly developed testing method, experimental metrics and clinical benchmarks that are clinically relevant and can set the standard for robust fluid handling performance evaluations. The purpose of this evaluative framework is to translate the physical characteristics and performance determinants of a foam dressing into achievable best clinical outcomes. These guiding principles are key to distinguishing desirable properties of a dressing that contribute to optimal performance in clinical settings.
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trudi powell Active Member

ajs Welcome New Poster

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