Foam vs Hydrofiber: Do You Know Which Are Best for Exudate?

Matthew Regulski, DPM, FFPM RCPS(Glasgow), ABMSP, FASPM, discusses what dressings he uses in his practice to control different levels of exudate.

Transcript

Can You Briefly Talk About Foam Dressing Use for Exudate?

Foam, in my mind, is used for minimal to moderate drainage. Now I use it some areas under pressure, under bony prominences where wounds are, just to give a little bit more comfort, cushioning, and to help in offloading. But it's very minimal to moderate drainage. I've used them all. I've been through them all. When you look at hydrofiber dressings, like Drawtex, which I use a lot it can absorb 2 pounds its weight and drainage, which is great; but that can even get overloaded. And I think if you have somebody with large wounds that are heavily exudated, to get that exudate under control, you need to see that patient more often, twice a week, sometimes even 3 times a week to get that under control because that exudate, as we've been discussing, highly inflammatory, breaks down tissue, creates odor, and leads to more acute infection.

So foams are really for minimal to moderate drainage. If there's something that you need, like a dressing for exudate, hydrofibers are even better because of the conductive capacitance for it. But I think foam dressings, I only use for minimal to moderate drainage, but if, again, heavy drainage, you need to see that patient, change these dressings more often.

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