You're not alone if you’ve used a wound dressing that wasn’t designed to absorb the fluids from your wound properly.
All wounds exude or release fluids that aid in recovery during the healing process. However, heavily exuding wounds require specialized care. Absorbent wound dressings help manage the drainage to ensure it doesn't interfere with healing.
Over the past thirty-plus years, Strouse has helped design and build a vast range of safe medical products, from masks to absorbent hydrogel patches. Before you start the development process, you’ll want to consider the type of dressing you want to design and its manufacturing considerations.
Today, we’ll discuss what makes absorbent wound dressings unique, the different types, and how to locate them based on your needs.
Exudate helps wounds heal by providing nutrients and keeping the wound bed from drying out, but excess, faulty, or misplaced exudate can cause complications. Absorbent wound dressings soak up excess exudate that leaks from blood vessels during wound healing.
Absorbing the excess exudate away helps prevent damage to the wound bed and surrounding skin. When the skin is damp for too long, it suffers from maceration (becoming spongy and infection-prone). Chronic wounds, pressure injuries, and skin graft sites often exhibit consistent drainage you can manage using absorbent wound dressings.
Although wound dressings may seem like a “one size fits all” type of application, there are multiple types with varying levels of absorption depending on your application. This list will cover the most commonly seen types of absorbent wound dressings.
Gauze is one of the most commonly known wound dressings; in fact, you’ve likely seen it used in hospital TV dramas to stifle the blood flow of wounds. Gauze dressings contain fabric that soaks up discharge from the wound.
Gauze dressings aren’t intended as a long-term solution, and frequent changes are often necessary to prevent infection.
Foam dressings, typically made of silicone or polyurethane, absorb fluids in heavy exudative wounds or pressure injuries.
Open-cell foam is semi-permeable, allowing air to pass through but not liquids. As a result, it’s a dryer wound care solution than, say, hydrogel, while retaining a lower moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR) than film, which is impermeable. Lastly, foam dressings are known for their thermal insulation, which can help increase blood flow, although this comes at the risk of inflammation.
You might be familiar with hydrocolloids in the form of acne patches, where they help absorb pus or discharge from the skin.
Hydrocolloid adhesives are known for their absorptive capabilities, which allow them to draw in exudate and drainage effectively. In addition, hydrocolloid dressings help inhibit bacterial growth by reducing the localized pH of a wound.
Because hydrocolloid consists of a gel, it can keep a wound bed relatively well-hydrated and help prevent dry scab formation, thereby promoting better healing.
One downside of hydrocolloid dressings is that they are opaque, meaning you can’t inspect the wound without removal. Also, due to their composition, hydrocolloid dressings aren’t ideal for infected wounds. Instead, they are highly effective in pressure wounds and low-to-moderate exudative wounds.
While personally, I’ve never thought, “Oh boy, I wish I could use an algae-based product to heal my wounds,” modern medicine has a way of being both a little gross and intriguing.
Alginate calcium wound dressings, often found in nonwoven fabric form, have a high water solubility that pulls exudate from the wound bed. They are extremely absorbent but can struggle with retention, so they’re often used in tandem with a secondary dressing, such as viscose gauze.
The best absorbent wound dressing supplier will ultimately depend on your goals.
For smaller orders, you’re better off seeking a major distributor or finding quantities online. This includes any orders made for personal use that wouldn’t warrant paying the minimum order quantity for a production-level purchase.
However, larger orders, products made from specialized materials, and products with custom designs are more suitable for converting. Flexible material converters are custom product manufacturers who will help you build and produce your designs efficiently.
Converters like Strouse begin the quoting process with a project consultation to evaluate the current state of your project and optimize your product design for manufacturing. In addition, many medical products have unique material and sterilization requirements. Trustworthy converters with medical converting experience will ensure their quality standards match your needs.
Reach out if you’re ready to begin developing your custom wound dressing.
For more information before you decide, visit our Learning Center to learn more about wound dressings and other medical products.