What is Alginate Dressing?

Alginate dressings are light, nonwoven fabrics made primarily from seaweed derivatives.

They are highly absorbent and are designed for wounds with moderate to heavy exudates. They can absorb up to 20 to 30 times their weight in wound drainage.

Alginate wound dressings are available in sheet and rope forms. Alginate sheets are used as a primary dressing for open wounds, and alginate rope dressings are used to fill small, draining wound cavities. As they are non-adherent, they always need a secondary dressing to keep them in place.

HPFY offers a huge range of alginate dressings, including silver and calcium alginate dressings that can absorb wound fluids and provide an optimal healing environment.

Indications

Calcium alginate wound dressing is versatile and has numerous applications. They work best on wet wounds, which produce a lot of exudate and sloughy wounds with dead tissues. These dressings are effective on:

Moderate to heavily draining wounds
Partial and full-thickness wounds
Skin tears
Pressure ulcers (Stages III and IV)
Diabetic foot ulcers
Tunneling wounds
Surgical incisions
Dermal wounds
Infected wounds
Burn wounds
Sinus tracts
Donor sites

Contraindications

Wounds with hard, dry, necrotic tissue
Heavy bleeding wounds
Third-degree burns
Known sensitivity to alginates or other components of the dressing

How does Alginate Wound Dressing work?

When applied to an open wound, the alginate dressing absorbs fluid from the wound and forms a gel-like layer to conform to the wound contours. This gel layer helps to keep the wound moist and protected and provides a barrier to bacteria and other contaminants, minimizing the risk of infection.

These dressings also help encourage new skin growth during wound healing by ensuring that the wound area stays moist. This facilitates a natural debridement process that removes dead or damaged skin, promoting a healthy environment that helps heal wounds. Alginate dressings can also help to reduce pain and discomfort associated with the wound.

How to apply?

Cleanse the wound with a normal saline solution.
Dry the surrounding skin.
Cut the alginate dressing to the shape of the wound.
Gently place it over the wound surface.
Then cover the alginate dressing with appropriate moisture-retentive secondary dressing to hold it in place.
The frequency of the dressing change depends on the wound characteristics and the amount of drainage.
Typically they should be changed every 1 to 3 days or when the fluid starts coming out from the dressing edges.
Use saline water to dampen the dressing for pain-free removal.

Benefits of Calcium Alginate Dressing

High absorbency: Alginate dressings are highly absorbent and can absorb large quantities of wound drainage. It is used to manage wounds with moderate and heavy drainage.
Ease to use: It can mold itself to the individual wound shape, which aids in better wound drainage absorption. This makes them easy to use on hard-to-reach areas such as heels and sacral regions.
Painless removal: Alginate dressings are non-adherent, meaning they won’t stick to the wound bed and can be easily removed without causing any trauma to the wound or disturbing the healing granulation tissue.
Hemostatic properties: Some alginate dressings contain Zinc to increase the hemostatic qualities of the dressing, which are ideal for bleeding wounds.
Antimicrobial protection: Alginate dressings such as silver alginate dressings contain antimicrobial properties effective for infected wounds.
Cost-effective: Alginate dressings can be used for up to 7 days, reducing the need for frequent dressing changes.

Where to buy Alginate Dressing online?

Alginate wound dressings are easy to use, absorb exudates, stop bleeding, reduce infections, and enhance healing and debridement. Health Products For You carries an extensive selection of alginate dressings like alginate sheets, rope dressings, silver dressings, and calcium alginate dressings from Medline, Cardinal Health, 3M, etc., at the best prices.