When should I use a foam dressing?
Foam dressings are some of the most widely used dressings in healthcare.3 They provide moist wound healing, and help you manage exudate. You can use foam dressings on:
- low- to high-exuding wounds;
- partial- or full-thickness wounds; and
- acute and chronic wounds; and
- Pressure injuries3
Minimise risk of leakage and maceration with Biatain Silicone Non-Border
Biatain Silicone Non-Border with 3DFit Technology ensures high absorption and retention of exudate under compression to reduce the risk of maceration and to protect the extra fragile periwound skin. This ensures an optimal wound healing environment, leading to faster healing.
The dressing delivers high patient comfort due to the soft and flexible materials, and the gentle silicone adhesive minimises pain and damage to the wound edges and periwound skin upon removal.
Foam dressings come in a variety of sizes, shapes and formats.3 This means you can use them:
- as primary and secondary dressings;
- on wounds of various sizes;
- under devices such as compression bandages; and
- on differing anatomical positions as well as hard-to-dress areas, such as joints.3
The multi-layered structure of many silicone foam dressings makes them useful as part of a pressure ulcer prevention protocol, as application of these dressings can reduce pressure and shear forces on vulnerable sites. For more information read more about how to use wound dressings to treat pressure injuries here.
What are the benefits of foam dressings?
Foam dressings offer several benefits in wound care. They:
- help manage exudate;
- maintain a moist wound healing environment;
- reduce over-/hyper- granulating tissue; and
- provide a healthy environment for epithelial maturation.3
Foam dressings have other benefits as well. They can provide some cushioning, both as a primary and secondary dressing.1 This can make them more comfortable to wear for your patient. They are also easy to remove, which reduces the risk of skin trauma. And they can provide thermal insulation for wounds.
References
- World Union of Wound Healing Societies (WUWHS), Consensus Document. Wound exudate: effective assessment and management. Wounds International, 2019
- Managing wound exudate and promoting healing.
- NHS Clinical Review: Foam Dressings October 2018
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