Exudate plays a key role in wound healing, yet appropriate exudate management poses a significant challenge in clinical practice.
Exudate in excess requires frequent dressing changes and nursing visits, resulting in pain, inconvenience and anxiety for patients and high healthcareassociated costs. Suboptimal management can result in further tissue damage, leakage and slower healing times. It can also negatively impact patient quality of life.
Superabsorbent polymer (SAP) dressings absorb and retain fluid, reducing the risk of leakage and minimising the chance of maceration. SAP dressings lock-in large volumes of exudate while retaining their structure (Ousey et al, 2013).
This Made Easy focuses on the use of the atraumatic SAP dressing Zetuvit Plus Silicone Border in the management of exudate.
Astrid Probst
Expert Nurse Wound Management, Kreiskliniken Reutlingen GmBH, Reutlingen, Germany;
