How to Manage a Highly Exuding Wound

Exudate management is a key factor in treating patients with hard-to-heal wounds.

Exudate plays an important role in wound healing. However, it can delay the process when in the wrong amount, in the wrong place, or of the wrong composition. Therefore, effective assessment and management of exudate is vital to ensuring timely wound healing without complications.

Read on to learn the causes and dangers of high exudate production, as well as some products (carried by Medical Monks, of course) that can help provide solutions.

What is wound exudate?

Informal terms for wound exudate include ‘wound fluid’ or ‘wound drainage’ (World Union of Wound Healing Society, 2007). Exudate is best defined as: “Exuded matter; especially the material composed of serum, fibrin, and white blood cells that escapes into a superficial lesion or area of inflammation” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2018).

Excessive exudate production

The amount of exudate produced by a wound is dependent on:

■ Wound type – some wounds are more prone to high or low exudate levels

■ Wound healing phase – the amount of exudate produced by a wound usually diminishes as healing progresses

■ Wound size, depth and position – larger and deeper wounds may produce higher levels of exudate, as can wounds in dependent parts of the body, e.g. the lower leg

■ Comorbidities, complications, and other factors – there are many other reasons for increased or decreased exudate production

Treatment

A variety of wound dressings – most notably, foams – have been developed to treat highly exuding wounds.

Some of these foam dressings are able to absorb a reasonably high level of fluid but have little or no retention capabilities. Because of this, they cannot be used under compression, severely limiting the types of wounds they can treat.

Newer dressings, containing superabsorbent polymer (SAP), are more able to cope with higher levels of exudate and have proved successful clinically, some being able to be used under compression bandaging.

Solutions

Make The Zetuvit® Plus family of dressings your preferred choice in the fight to prevent exudate related complications, manage the unpredictable, and to help patients regain confidence. They are versatile, which can simplify the selection process. They are indicated for a wide range of hard-to-heal wounds with moderate-to-high levels of wound exudate. These include wounds that tend to benefit from compression therapy, such as pressure injuries (PI), diabetic foot ulcers (DFU), venous leg ulcers (VLU) and arterial leg ulcers (ALU). Here are some specific examples:

Zetuvit Plus Silicone Border is ideal for wounds that require no secondary dressings or additional fixation. It protects the tissue surrounding the wound (periwound) and provides a barrier to bacteria and viruses. The dressing is also water-resistant, so can be worn in the shower.

Zetuvit Silicone (Non-Border) is ideal for use under multi-layer compression wraps or a secondary dressing. It provides protection of the periwound. Additional dressing securement is required.

Zetuvit Plus (Non-Adhesive) is ideal for wounds with full range of exudate levels. It offers quick absorption for heavily exuding wounds. Additional dressing securement is required.

If you…

… or someone you’re caring for, is in need of a dressing for wounds with moderate to high levels of exudate, contact a medical professional immediately. Please feel free to contact Medical Monks with any questions you may have about products that can help treat wounds with high exudate.