EXUDATE MANAGED.
SKIN PROTECTED1.

ConvaMax™ Superabsorber

ConvaMax-Pack-Blue-10x10-PPT (3).png

For a wound to heal, it needs to exude. Indeed, moist wounds heal 2-3 times faster than dry wounds1. Sometimes, however, heavily exuding wounds can do more harm than good.

 

Too much moisture can hamper healing

Superabsorber dressings are used to extract much of this moisture - and its harmful bacteria. This creates an environment where skin integrity is maintained and wounds can heal effectively.

 

Control excess exudate

ConvaMax™ is a new Superabsorber dressing designed to manage the challenges around highly exuding wounds. It combines high performance with softness and conformability. Highly absorbent, even under compression, it locks excess exudate and bacteria away from the wound.

What causes exudate production

Exudate is a liquid containing proteins and white blood cells. It is the body's defence mechanism as a result of inflammation, and it slowly seeps from blood vessels within the wound.

 

Effects of exudate on wound healing:

Exudate assists healing by1,2,4:
  • Preventing wound bed from drying out
  • Aiding migration of tissue-repairing cells
  • Providing essential nutrients for cell metabolism
  • Assisting autolysis - seperation of dead
    or damaged tissues
Excess exudate may2:
  • Macerate surrounding tissue
  • Delay or prevent wound healing
  • Cause subsequent breakdown and further deterioration
  • Cause damage to physical and emotional
    wellbeing

Non-healing wounds have higher levels of pro-inflammatory proteins which accelerate the inflammatory process. This encourages the production of enzymes and degrading proteins, which in turn can slow down or halt wound healing by hindering cellular proliferation and migration. Non-healing wounds have lower levels of growth factors which are essential for new cell development2,5

The challenges of poor exudate management for skin integrity

"Due to the nature and components of the exudate, it may be acidic in nature so causing burning and trauma" 1

In the UK between 2012 and 2013, for example, it is estimated that 2.2 million patients were treated for acute or chronic wounds by the NHS. This results in a total cost of between £4.5 - 5.3 billion3.

Superabsorber dressings can be an appropriate solution to effectively contain excessive exudate and manage symptoms including:1

Issues clinicians face:
  • Maceration and erosion of peri-wound skin
  • Exudate leaking through into secondary bandaging, which brings and increased rick of infection
  • Frequent patient visits and dressing changes, increasing your workload and dressing costs
  • The wound becoming static through ineffective exudate management
Issues patients face:
  • Leaking and soiling through to clothing or bedding, causing discomfort and inconvenience
  • Malodour
  • Psychosocial effects such as embarrassment, shame or anxiety around their wound
  • Dressings falling off due to saturation
  • Pain on application or removal
Drier wounds are also at risk

It's worth noting that it's not only high levels of exudate that can slow down healing times. Low levels of exudate, such as ischaemic and arterial wounds and neuropathic diabetic foot ulcers, can have a similar effect.1

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT :

1. World Union of Wound Healing Societies (2019) Consensus Document. Wound exudate: effective assessment and management. Wounds International. Available at: www.woundsinternational.com

2. Cutting KF, White R (2002). Maceration of the skin and wound bed: its nature and causes. J Wound Care 11(7): 275-8

3. Guest J et al. 2015. Health economic burden that wound impose on the National Health Service in the UK. British Medical Journal 5(12). Available at https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/bmjopen/5/12/e009283.full.pdf

4. World Union of Wound Healing Societies (2007) Principles of best practice: wound exudate and the role of dressings. A consensus document. London: MEP Ltd. Available at: www.woundsinternational.com

5. Gibson D, Cullen B, Legerstee R et al (2009) MMPs Made Easy. Wounds International 21(1). Available at: www.woundsinternational.com

Request Samples
Request Appointment

More in

EXUDATE MANAGED.
SKIN PROTECTED1.