ConvaTec, a developer and marketer of medical technologies for community and hospital care, has presented new in vitro study results in which a Hydrofiber dressing containing ionic silver was observed to conform more closely to a porcine tissue surface in a shallow wound model than did certain silver-containing foam dressings following hydration.
ConvaTec said that in the in vitro study, the Hydrofiber dressing containing ionic silver killed more bacteria (Pseudomonas (P) aeruginosa and Staphylococcus (S)aureus) beneath the dressing than any of the tested silver-containing foam dressings. In addition, the Hydrofiber dressing containing ionic silver was observed to not allow the spread of bacteria beyond the edge of the simulated wound.
The data were presented at the 23rd Annual Symposium on Advanced Wound Care and Wound Healing Society (SAWC/WHS) in Orlando, Florida. In the in vitro study, models were utilized that enabled both visualization of the conformability of silver-containing dressings with a simulated wound tissue and measurement of the antimicrobial activity of the dressings in a simulated shallow wound microbial model.
ConvaTec said that the percentage of growth for each bacterium was measured for Hydrofiber dressing containing ionic silver and three silver-containing foam dressings. Mean results of three replicated tests, measured by growth beneath the dressing, were as follows: the Hydrofiber dressing containing ionic silver had 0.4% growth when inoculated with S sureus and 9.0% with P aeruginosa.
Foam A had 25.7% growth when inoculated with S aureus and 100% with P aeruginosa; Foam B had 16.7% growth when inoculated with S aureus and 97.8% with P aeruginosa; and Foam C had 24.6% growth when inoculated with S aureus and 95.8% wit P aeruginosa.
ConvaTec added that dressings with Hydrofiber Technology gel on contact with fluid, provide clinicians and patients with substantial wound care benefits. The gelling action enables the dressings to lock in exudate and its harmful components.