Journal of Community Nursing

INTRODUCTION Production of exudate is a normal part of the wound healing process, which reduces in volume as wounds heal (Gardner, 2012). In chronic wounds that fail to heal in a timely manner, production of wound exudate can be over stimulated, with the fluid containing a higher number of inflammatory mediators and proteases, which damage the extracellular matrix, the structural support of wound healing, and the periwound skin (Bajjada, 2017). WHY TECHNOLOGY MATTERS — EXPLORING THE EXUFIBER DRESSING RANGE Thus, clinicians should choose dressings which not only have Product snapshot New gelling fiber technology evolves exudate management Chronic wounds create poor health (e.g. infection and immobility) and personal issues for patients (e.g. malodour, pain and sleepless nights), as well as substantial costs to healthcare systems (Guest et al, 2017; Atkin et al, 2019). They present many clinical challenges, but two key areas are wound bed preparation and exudate management (Atkin et al, 2019), which are intrinsically linked. A chronic or cavity wound bed which has not been prepared for healing through cleansing and debridement (Mahoney, 2020), containing slough, necrotic tissue or wound biofilm, usually produces a high volume of exudate (World Union of Wound Healing Societies [WUWHS], 2019). Hydrolock ® Technology and a new generation of gelling fiber dressings — the Exufiber ® range (Mölnlycke Health Care) — offer clinicians an improved way of managing wound exudate. Both Exufiber ® and Exufiber ® Ag prepare the wound bed for healing through debridement, combined with the ability to absorb and lock in wound exudate effectively, while Exufiber Ag also supports wound biofilmmanagement. the ability to manage the cause of exudate (e.g. removing sloughy and necrotic tissue, as well as biofilm), but also to improve the condition of the wound bed and periwound skin, thereby improving patient quality of life (WUWHS, 2019). Exufiber and Exufiber Ag+ with Hydrolock Technology have a unique action whereby the dressings are made up of tightly packed, non-woven polyvinyl alcohol fibres, which become a gel on contact with wound exudate.The tightly packed fibres minimise free space for exudate to flow, keeping it locked in. Hydrolock technology results in a high retention capacity to prevent leakage and maceration, a high tensile strength that keeps the dressing intact when wet, enabling dressing removal in one piece, as well as an ability to absorb and retain exudate, blood and bacteria (Davies and McCarty, 2017). Exufiber and Exufiber Ag+ with Hydrolock Technology have been designed to address the challenges of exuding wounds (e.g. leg and foot ulcers, pressure ulcers, partial-thickness burns, surgical wounds, donor sites, malignant wounds), while also improving patient experience (Griffin, 2015), for example reducing the risk of leakage.The Exufiber dressing range is also highly absorbent under compression therapy, as well as being soft and conformable, which makes it easy to apply (Davies and McCarty, 2017).The following paragraphs explores some of the dressings’key components. 1. Efficient transfer of exudate Exufiber and Exufiber Ag+ transfer exudate efficiently from the wound bed to a secondary dressing (Mölnlycke Health Care, 2018 and 2020), such as Absorbs and locks in exudate, even under compression, to reduce risk of leaks and maceration (Chadwick and McCardle, 2016; Smet et al, 2015; Davies and McCarty, 2017) Efficiently transfers exudate away from the wound bed to the secondary dressing (Chadwick and McCardle, 2016; Molnlycke Health Care, 2018) Promotes autolytic debridement to support a clean wound bed upon dressing removal (Smet et al, 2015) Stays intact for clean and easy one-piece removal (Chadwick and McCardle, 2016; Smet et al, 2015; Davies and McCarty, 2017) 34 JCN 2020,Vol 34, No 4