The Effect of a Hydr oconductive Dr essing on the Suppr ession of Wound Biofilm

Although excessive exudate has been associated with poor wound healing outcomes, exudate is still not well understood in the pathophysiology of chronic wounds. Wound exudate is believed to be the result of wounds that are trapped in a persistent, hyper inflammato- ry state. Biofilm, bacteria of multiple species living in community, has multiple well-defined molecular pathways that produce hyper inflam - mation. The exudate that is produced in wounds is a potentially im- portant nutrient source for biofilm; therefore, rapidly removing exudate may rob the biofilm of important nutrients and suppress its negative effects. Methods. A hydroconductive fiber dressing that possesses ex - cellent capillary action properties was utilized to rapidly remove wound exudate in 10 patients. Results. The data demonstrate an average 62% reduction in wound volume for these 10 wounds over a 4-week period. Two wounds completely closed during the 2 weeks, and all but 1 wound significantly improved. Only 6 of the 10 wounds showed fewer bacteria at the end of the 4-week study period, suggesting there is not a 1:1 correlation with reduction in the number of bacteria in the wound and wound healing. Conclusion. Rapid removal of the nutrient source from wound biofilm, while not diminishing the number of bacteria, may sup - press a biofilm's negative effects on wound healing.