Assessing the hydro-affinity of hydrogel dressings

The aim of this study was to evaluate a testing system and to measure the effectiveness of hydrogel dressings in their ability to both absorb and donate fluid. Two materials were used in the test, which represented different types of wounds. The first 'gelatine gel', had properties similar to a dry wound; the second, 'agar gel', had properties similar to a moist, granulating wound. These were placed on nylon nets positioned in chambers containing compounds found in three different types of hydrogel dressing. After 48 hours the gels were weighed; changes in weight revealed that the fluid-handling properties of the hydrogel dressings were very different. This has practical implications when choosing a dressing for a particular type of wound because, on the surface, these dressings appear to be very similar.