Commercial wound dressings for the treatment of exuding wounds: an in-depth physico-chemical comparative study

Abstract

Background Nowadays, a wide range of wound dressings is already commercially available. The selection of the dressing is of paramount importance as inappropriate wound management and dressing selection can delay the wound healing process. Not only can this be distressing for the patient, but it can also contribute to complications such as maceration and subsequent infection. Many researchers are targeting the design of dressings with superior properties over existing commercial dressings. However, reported results in the state-of-the-art are rarely benchmarked against commercial dressings. The aim of this study was to determine several characteristics of a large variety of the most frequently used commercial wound dressings, providing an overview for both practitioners and researchers. Methods For this comparative study, 11 frequently used commercial wound dressings were selected, representing the different types. The morphology was studied using scanning electron microscopy. The dressings were characterized in terms of swelling capacity (water, phosphate buffered saline and simulated wound fluid), moisture vapour transmission rate (MVTR) and moisture uptake capacity (via dynamic vapour sorption) as well as mechanical properties using tensile testing and texturometry. Results The selected dressings showed distinctive morphological differences (fibrous, porous and/or gel) which was reflected in the different properties. Indeed, the swelling capacities ranged between 1.5 and 23.2 g/g (water), 2.1 and 17.6 g/g (phosphate buffered saline) or 2.9 and 20.8 g/g (simulated wound fluid). The swelling capacity of the dressings in water increased even further upon freeze-drying, due to the formation of pores. The MVTR values varied between 40 and 930 g/m2/24 h. The maximal moisture uptake capacity varied between 5.8% and 105.7% at 95% relative humidity. Some commercial dressings exhibited a superior mechanical strength, due to either being hydrophobic or multi-layered. Conclusions The present work not only offers insight into a valuable toolbox of suitable wound dressing characterization techniques, but also provides an extensive landscaping of commercial dressings along with their physico-chemical properties, obtained through reproducible experimental protocols. Furthermore, it ensures appropriate benchmark values for commercial dressings in all forthcoming studies and could aid researchers with the development of novel modern wound dressings. The tested dressings either exhibited a high strength or a high swelling capacity, suggesting that there is still a strong potential in the wound dressings market for dressings that possess both.

Smart Bandaid Integrated with Fully Textile OECT for Uric Acid Real-Time Monitoring in Wound Exudate

“…Instead, adopting the WAC by surface, a clearer picture emerges for the different textile materials, as the reported values are directly correlated with the grammage. Moreover, it is known that a smaller fiber diameter originates a higher surface-to-volume ratio that improves the water retention capacity . Here, the diameter of the fibers was calculated from SEM images and can be correlated with the WAC by surface.…”

Designing Deferoxamine-Loaded Flaxseed Gum and Carrageenan-Based Controlled Release Biocomposite Hydrogel Films for Wound Healing

“…Although the values of YM for all the composites were lower, these are still comparable to commercial dressings, such as the YM of the Kaltostat ® (ConvaTec, Reading, UK), Aquacel ® Ag (ConvaTec, Reading, UK), Aquacel ® Extra (ConvaTec, Reading, UK), and Exufiber ® (Mölnlycke, Göteborg, Sweden), which vary from 0.24 to 0.95 MPa. Mepilex ® (Mölnlycke, Göteborg, Sweden) and Mepilex ® Ag (Mölnlycke, Göteborg, Sweden) have the lowest YM but the highest total elongation, which signifies their flexibility [ 38 ]. In this study, F 1 C 1 .DFX displayed a lower YM, the highest EAB, an appropriate TS, and sufficient FE; hence, we can infer that F 1 C 1 .DFX possesses sufficient mechanical strength for application as a wound dressing [ 38 ].…”

“…Mepilex ® (Mölnlycke, Göteborg, Sweden) and Mepilex ® Ag (Mölnlycke, Göteborg, Sweden) have the lowest YM but the highest total elongation, which signifies their flexibility [ 38 ]. In this study, F 1 C 1 .DFX displayed a lower YM, the highest EAB, an appropriate TS, and sufficient FE; hence, we can infer that F 1 C 1 .DFX possesses sufficient mechanical strength for application as a wound dressing [ 38 ].…”

Novel Polyhexanide-Releasing Membranes for Antimicrobial Wound Dressings: A Critical Review

“…values for a set of eleven commercial WDs (205 -1766% [126]). Once again, results must be interpreted with care, because all but one of these commercial WDs were non-medicated WDs and also because the experimental conditions employed in the determination of this parameter varied.…”