Wound inflammation and the role of a multifunctional polymeric dressing

Authors: Cutting, Vowden, Wiegand

Journal: ©Wounds International 2015 | Vol 6 Issue 2 |

What insights can you gain from this article?

The authors document that the use of PolyMem® dressing has been proven to reduce and prevent inflammation, swelling, bruising and pain, which promotes rapid healing. PolyMem, applied to either  broken skin or intact skin, over an injured site, improves healing outcomes in the epidermis, the dermis and the deep tissues beneath where the dressing is applied.

PolyMem and Countering Inflammation, Made Easy

Authors: Cutting and Gefen

Journal: ©Wounds International | June 2019

What insights can you gain from this article?

Authors detail causes of inflammation, the impact of inflammation on wounds,  problems caused by excessive inflammation, and outline the roles PolyMem dressings play in containing and controlling potentially unhealthy inflammatory responses. The authors report that PolyMem dressings focus the inflammatory response at the primary site of tissue damage, while reducing swelling, pain, itching and burning and importantly, shifting  a wound from chronicity to a normal healing path.

Defining a holistic pain-relieving approach to wound care via a drug free polymeric membrane dressing

Authors: Davies and White

Journal of Wound Care vol 20, no 5, May 2011

What insights can you gain from this article?

Authors report that long-term data, from facilities worldwide, with large patient populations, provide evidence that PolyMem dressings provide: reproducible pain relief during dressing change; rapid healing; and a reduction in the need for pain medication due to the easing of persistent background pain.

Polymeric Membrane Dressings for Topical Wound Management of Patients With Infected Wounds in a Challenging Environment: A Protocol With 3 Case Examples

Authors: Linda L Benskin

Journal: OSTOMY WOUND MANAGEMENT® JUNE 2016

What insights can you gain from this article?

The author reports the impressive clinical outcomes when PolyMem dressings were used by 144 independent clinicians, who managed 23 different wound types, in a total of 3,988 patients. The wounds included open full and partial thickness wounds, as well as closed wounds. The wound types reported on include:

Arterial ulcers; Burn wounds; Diabetic foot ulcers; Donor sites (skin graft); Epidermolysis bullosa; Graft sites; Herpes zoster lesions; Mixed venous/arterial ulcers; Pressure ulcers; Pyoderma gangrenosum; Radiation skin reactions; Skin tears; Surgical wounds, including: sutured, stapled, or steri-stripped, Sinus surgery, Fasciotomy closure by secondary intention, Others closed by secondary intention, Dehisced surgical, Plastic surgery damaged into dermis (without incisions); Tracheostomy sites; Trauma; Tube sites (gastric); Venous leg ulcers; Miscellaneous wound types that do not fit easily into the above listings.

Evidence for PolyMeric Membrane dressings as a unique dressing subcategory, using pressure ulcers as an example.

Authors: Linda L Benskin

Journal: Adv Wound Care (New Rochelle). 2018 Dec 1;7(12):419-426

What insights can you gain from this article?

The author provides detailed evidence demonstrating that:

1. Although PolyMem dressings are classified as foams by CMS, the dressings’ indications and functional attributes are unique compared to other foam dressings.

2. PolyMem dressings continuously cleanse; balance moisture; decrease pain, edema, and bruising; and speed healing.

3. PolyMem dressings outperform conventional dressings for managing pressure ulcers.

4. Evidence-based wound management requires guidelines that categorize advanced dressings based upon how they function in real-life settings, rather than upon their substrate or reimbursement code.