The function and usage of alginate dressing

Alginate medical dressing is mainly composed of calcium alginate, a natural cellulose extracted from seaweed, which is mainly used for superficial wound care. Covering the wound surface can effectively absorb excess wound exudate and form a soft mesh gel, so as to maintain a good moist environment and promote wound repair and healing.

Alginate has good hydrophilicity and biocompatibility, applied in superficial wounds can help bacteriostatic, stop bleeding, promoting wound healing, also can be used in small and deep antrum wound, promote wound drainage and abscess, but for the wounds of the depth of more than 0.5 cm or subcutaneous cavity, the cavity, the wounds of the pus cavity is not applicable, Because you can't get inside the wound to function.

The use of alginate has strict requirements on the wound. Before use, it should be ensured that the wound is clean and free from rotting flesh and necrosis. If there are black scabs, rotting flesh and sticky pus, detrauma treatment should be carried out first to keep the wound smooth and clean, and then alginate can be used to cover the wound.

Before use, clean the wound with physiological salt, wipe the moisture on the surface of the wound with cotton ball, cut alginate dressing according to the size of the wound, gently cover the wound surface, make the dressing and the wound bottom fit, then wrap and fix with sterile gauze.

Alginate dressings should be changed daily at the beginning of wound repair and less frequently when wound inflammation is under control, exudate is reduced and granulation is beginning to form.

When alginate dressings are saturated with exudate, their water absorption is basically saturated and they need to be replaced promptly. Generally speaking, dressings should not be replaced for a maximum of seven days.

Alginate dressings have obvious advantages in the early stage of wound repair, and are mainly used to clean the wound. If the wound is rotten, or there is black scab, cavity, deep injury, etc., it is necessary to go to the wound repair specialist hospital for diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible. After the early debridement treatment, then care with the dressing.

In general, alginate can help wounds in the following aspects:

1, promote wound healing

Relative to other dressing products, algal acid salt water imbibition is strong, can absorb a large number of wound exudates, wet gel state formation, in order to keep the wound good wetting and low oxygen features, epidermal cells can swim freely in this environment and proliferation, granulation and newborn epithelial growth speed is faster.

2. Help the wound stop bleeding

For bleeding symptoms of fresh wounds, alginate dressing releases calcium ions on the wound surface, which can promote the formation of prothrombin activator and thus accelerate the coagulation process.

3. Isolate external germs

After skin ulceration, germs are easy to invade the wound, and covered with alginate dressings can effectively isolate external germs and prevent germs from invading the wound. At the same time, humid low-oxygen and micro-acid environment is conducive to the role of white blood cells, enhance local sterilization ability, and reduce the occurrence of infection.

4, will not adhere to the wound

Alginate has good affinity, can be easily removed after absorbing water, does not adhere to the wound, no pain when changing dressing.

Compared with traditional gauze, alginate is more expensive, but it can shorten the time of wound repair, reduce the local inflammatory reaction of the wound, improve the quality of wound healing in many ways, and generally reduce the pain of patients. Its application prospect is relatively broad.