Alginate Dressing

Calcium alginate dressings are a strong versatile and natural wound care dressing typically applied to diabetic wounds venous wounds full thickness burns split thickness graft donor sites pressure ulcers cavity wounds and chronic ulcers.

Alginate dressing. Pat the wound dry. In general using an alginate dressing is a straightforward process that follows the best practices of wound care. Place the alginate dressing on the wound.

Alginate dressings are designed to interact with sodium in wounds to create an ionic exchange and help jump start the epitheliazation process. An alginate dressing is a natural wound dressing derived from carbohydrate sources released by clinical bacterial species in the same manner as biofilm formation. These dressings are made primarily of seaweed derivatives and the fibers are spun into ropes or sheets.

When in contact with a wound the calcium alginate in the dressing reacts with sodium chloride from the wound. They can also be used on dry wounds when combined with a sterile saline solution. This turns the dressing into a hydrophilic gel that maintains a moist environment for the wound.

As the alginate absorbs fluid it is converted to a gel that provides moisture to the wound bed. These types of dressings are best used on wounds that have a large amount of exudate.