Managing High Exudate Wounds: A How-to Guide
Contributor: Sarah Gardner, Clinical Lead, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Tissue Viability Service, Abingdon Hospital, Oxford
Understand what exudate is and why some wounds may produce excessive amounts of exudate.
The importance of appropriate dressing selection based on the condition of the wound and patient needs.
Dressing choice will be determined mainly by the ability to manage the current volume of exudate, to assist healing and prevent complications.
Exudate can be distressing for the patient, cause tissue damage and reduce quality of life. Inappropriate wound management and dressing selection can also contribute to the problem and lead to delayed healing. This ‘how to’ guide looks at the problems of excessive exudate and focuses on the use of superabsorbent dressings in a range of wound types.
Figure 1. Healing category 4 pressure ulcer. The depth and undermining of this wound creates an environment for high exudate levels, which need to be managed effectively to prevent deterioration.
Figure 2. Skin maceration and local wound bed infection, demonstrating the difficulties of managing excessive exudate in a large venous leg ulcer. The need for advanced dressings and an increase in the frequency of changes may be necessary to manage the exudate-associated problems.
Figure 3. Skin excoriation secondary to chronic wound exudate and local infection.
Figure 4. Deterioration of wounds due to poorly managed lymphoedema. There is widespread inflammatory skin excoriation and presence of devitalised tissue in the wound bed. Such wounds will not heal until the underlying cause is treated.