Exudate

Wound Care Information Network

Exudate

Definition:

"fluid, cells or other substances that have been slowly exuded, or discharged, from cells or blood vessels through small pores or breaks in cell membranes."

Source: Mosby's Medical / Nursing Dictionary

The basic concept behind moist wound healing is that the presence of exudate in a wound will provide an environment that stimulates healing. Exudate contains various components, including: lysosomal enzymes, WBC's, lymphokines and growth factors. Many of the advanced dressings available to you are designed to keep the wound bed moist with exudate.

There are clinical studies which have shown that wounds kept in a moist environment have lower infection rates than wounds treated with agents that tend to dry the wound bed.

The concept of 'moist wound healing' has been with us since the 1960s, but only in the last few years has it become the accepted treatment philosophy for chronic wound care. If you are still treating wounds with wet-to-dry protocols, I would urge you to contact other wound care clinicians who are using 'moist wound healing' techniques, and compare outcomes.

The most successful outcome is one that produces wound closure in the shortest amount of time, along with the fewest number of visits. Spending a few dollars more on a dressing is insignificant when compared to the cost of additional treatments.