Gelling alginate dressings and their contribution to wound management

Posnett and Franks (2008) have calculated that 200,000 people in the UK have a chronic wound, with an estimated treatment cost of between £2.3billion and £3.1billion per year. Chronic wounds have proven costly to the NHS due to prolonged treatment periods, frequent dressing changes, more nursing time used and the potential for further deterioration (Harding et al, 2007). The challenge of chronic wounds remains significant in terms of clinical management, impact on patients and cost to the NHS. Chronic wounds by nature often have clinical features that are challenging to treat and are complicated by the presence of other comorbidities. Chronic wounds may be large in size, have sloughy or necrotic tissue present, be at risk of infection and may have excessive levels of exudate (Vuolo, 2009). The management of wound exudate is one of the key components of an effective wound dressing. How effectively a dressing manages wound exudate affects a number of factors, including condition of the surrounding skin, wear time and healing rates and patient quality of life (World Union of Wound Healing Societies [WUWHS], 2007). The challenge in managing exuding wounds is to maintain a moist wounddressing interface, while at the same time possibly effectively absorbing and retaining exudate, keeping exudate away from the skin, performing under compression bandaging, being easy to remove, and being cost-effective (White and Cutting, 2006). Fibrous dressing are a popular absorptive dressing that are indicated for wounds with moderate to high levels of exudate. There are two main types of fibrous dressings in wound care: natural fibres and synthetic fibrous dressings. Synthetic fibrous dressings, also commonly known as hydrofiber dressings, are similar to alginate dressings and are indicated for the same wound types.