A surgical wound requires a hydrogel dressing. What is the primary advantage of a hydrogel dressing?

Question

a. It provides an absorbent to collect wound drainage.
b. It provides a negative pressure to promote healing.
c. It provides protection from the external environment.
d. It provides moisture needed for wound healing.

Answer 1

D
Hydrogels maintain moisture in some wounds for 1 to 3 days. Hydrogel dressings are available in sheets or in a gel in a tube (amorphous). They contain a high percentage of water and are indicated for wounds that require moisture, either a wound with granulation (maintaining the moist wound environment needed for healing) or a wound that has a high percentage of necrotic tissue (the hydrogel facilitates debridement by softening the dead tissue). Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) uses negative pressure to assist wound healing. Negative pressure wound therapy supports wound healing by evacuating wound fluids, stimulating granulation tissue formation, reducing the bacterial burden of a wound, and maintaining a moist wound environment. Gauze dressings are best for wounds with moderate drainage, deep wounds, undermining, and tunnels. You apply gauze either moist or dry. The moistened gauze increases the absorptive ability of the dressing to collect exudate. A transparent or hydrocolloid dressing protects against the external environment.