Calcium Alginate Rope For Packing

As a highly absorbent wound care choice an individual alginate wound dressing can absorb up to 15 to 20 times its own weight which makes these dressings really work for excessively secreting wounds.

Calcium alginate rope for packing.

Non woven or fibrous non occlusive alginate dressings made from calcium alginate or calcium sodium alginate derived from brown seaweed form a soft gel in contact with wound exudate. An alginate wound dressing contains sodium and calcium derived from seaweed and come in the form of flat dressings. Alginate fibres typically as a calcium salt interact with the wound exudates to form a moist gel as a result of the ion exchange between the calcium ions in the fibre and the sodium ions in the exudates. Alginate fibres are biodegradable 1 therefore any residual fibres that remain after a dressing change pose no risk to patient safety.

Activheal alginate fibres are naturally haemostatic. Since this is still my first year as an rn i m still learning and my question is this. Does the calcium alginate rope need to be soaked in nss before packing. They come in the form of flat dressings that can be placed over open ulcers and rope dressings that are used for packing the wound which absorb fluids and promote healing with pressure ulcers diabetic foot ulcers or venous ulcers.

Alginate dressings are highly absorbent and suitable for use on exuding wounds and for the promotion of autolytic debridement of debris in very moist wounds. Following absorption of wound exudate the alginate dressing releases calcium ions into the wound which can activate platelets to control minor bleeding 2. 15 the gel forming property of alginate eliminates fibre entrapment in the wound and helps in removing the dressing without much trauma.