What’s the Deal With Silver and Wound Care?
One does not immediately think of silver when considering a chronic wound, in fact, silver may be the furthest from your mind. Most people view silver as a precious metal used for making jewelry. At Avella Wound Care, we value silver for a vastly different reason; it's incredible antimicrobial properties!
Silver dressings are types of wound dressings that contain silver as the active ingredient. They are often used to treat chronic wounds, such as pressure ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers, and traumatic or surgical wounds. Silver has antimicrobial properties and can help to kill bacteria and reduce the risk of infection in the wound. Silver dressings can also help to reduce inflammation and promote healing.
A commonly used silver dressing for patients at Avella Wound Care is Silvercel. This dressing is manufactured by 3M, and has excellent absorption properties for exudative wounds in addition to the antimicrobial properties provided by the silver. It is designed to slowly release silver ions for up to 7 days, although patients normally change dressing more frequently. This amazing dressing is effective against more than 150 pathogens that may be present in a chronic non-healing wound!
Silver dressings are typically used in conjunction with other types of wound care, such as debridement and proper wound cleansing. If you have a chronic wound and are interested in using a silver dressing, you should discuss this option with our Wound Care Nurse Practitioner here at Avella Wound Care- Phoenix.
January 9, 2023 in Wound Care Education.
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