ConvaTec Expands AQUACEL® Dressing Product Line With Introduction of New Ribbon Dressing

SKILLMAN, N.J., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- ConvaTec, a world-leading developer and marketer of innovative medical technologies for community and hospital care, announced today the introduction of a new, narrower size of AQUACEL® and AQUACEL® Ag Ribbon Dressings with Strengthening Fibers, now available in the U.S. and select European countries for the management of moderate to highly exuding chronic and acute wounds. The new dressing, half the width of the currently available dressing, is designed specifically for use in excised abscesses and smaller wounds that tunnel below the wound surface.

The performance of AQUACEL® Ribbon Dressing is powered by the unique gelling action of Hydrofiber® Technology, proprietary to ConvaTec advanced dressings, which absorbs and locks in fluid, including harmful bacteria,(1a) making it ideal for the management of excised abscesses, tunneling or undermining wounds. In addition, AQUACEL® Ag Ribbon Dressing provides antimicrobial properties of ionic silver, which kills a broad range of pathogens in the dressing, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) as demonstrated in vitro.(1) The dressing also helps to reduce pain in situ and upon dressing removal.(2-5)

"This will be a very useful new tool to help me treat my patients better," said Mark Waltzman, MD, Assistant Medical Director, Division of Emergency Medicine, Children's Hospital, Boston, MA. "The introduction of the new narrower AQUACEL® Ribbon Dressing allows us to effectively treat a greater number of smaller abscesses. The AQUACEL® Ag Ribbon is, in my personal opinion, a great improvement over the older gauze-based dressings when it comes to patient comfort and managing infections."

AQUACEL® and AQUACEL® Ag Ribbon Dressing with Strengthening Fiber is available in two sizes for each dressing. The ribbon dressings are available in the standard 2 cm by 45 cm (0.78 in by 18 in), and the new, narrower size of 1cm by 45cm (0.39 in by 18 in).

Advanced Wound Dressings with Hydrofiber® Technology from ConvaTec

ConvaTec dressings with Hydrofiber® Technology gel on contact with fluid, providing clinicians and patients with substantial wound care benefits. This unique gelling action enables the dressings to lock in exudate and its harmful components(6-8a) and contour closely to the wound bed,(9a) in response to changing wound conditions. With the addition of ionic silver, AQUACEL® Ag Dressing also provides "on demand" broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, responding to increased bacterial load with increased silver ion availability.(1,10a,b)  

AQUACEL® and AQUACEL® Ag Dressings are soft, absorbent non-woven wound dressings based on Hydrofiber® Technology. Used for a wide range of moderate to highly exuding chronic and acute wounds, including surgical wounds (such as donor sites, drainage sites, excised abscesses, sinus tracts, and open surgical incisions),  AQUACEL® and AQUACEL® Ag Dressings are available in a variety of shapes, sizes and formats, including pad or ribbon dressings. AQUACEL® Ag also is indicated for the management of infected wounds and wounds at risk of infection.

About ConvaTec

ConvaTec is a leading developer and marketer of innovative medical technologies that have helped improve the lives of millions of people worldwide. With four key focus areas – Ostomy Care, Wound Therapeutics, Continence and Critical Care and Infusion Devices – ConvaTec products support healthcare professionals from the hospital to the community health setting. For more information, please visit www.convatec.com.

(a) As demonstrated in vitro

(b) The amount of silver released is controlled by the maximum concentration of silver that can enter solution.

Hydrofiber and AQUACEL are registered trademarks of ConvaTec Inc. AP-010346-US

© 2010 ConvaTec Inc.

1. Jones SA, Bowler PG, Walker M, Parsons D. Controlling wound bioburden with a novel silver-containing Hydrofiber® dressing. Wound Repair Regen. 2004;12(3):288-294.
2. Robinson BJ. The use of a hydrofibre dressing in wound management. J Wound Care. 2000;9(1):32-34.
3. Armstrong SH, Brown DA, Hill E, Ruckley CV. A randomized trial of a new Hydrofiber dressing, AQUACEL, and an alginate in the treatment of exuding leg ulcers. Presented at: 5th European Conference on Advances in Wound Management; Harrogate, UK: November 1995.
4. Barnea Y, Amir A, Leshem D et al. Clinical comparative study of Aquacel and paraffin gauze dressing for split-skin donar site treatment. Ann Plast Surg. 2004 Aug;53(2):132-136.
5. Caruso DM, Foster KN, Blome-Eberwein SA et al. Randomized clinical study of Hydrofiber dressing with silver or silver sulfadiazine in the management of partial-thickness burns. J Burn Care Res. 2006 May-Jun;27(3):298-309.
6. Walker M, Hobot JA, Newman GR, Bowler PG. Scanning electron microscopic examination of bacterial immobilixation in a carboxymethylcellulose (Aquacel®) and alginate dressing. Biomaterials. 2003;24(5):883-890.
7. Waring MJ, Parsons D. Physico-chemical characterization of carboxymethylated spun cellulose fibres. Biomaterials. 2001;22(:903-312.
8. Walker M, Bowler PG, Cochrane CA. In vitro studies show sequestration of matrix metalloproteinases by silver-containing wound care products. Ostomy Wound Manage. 2007;53(9):18-25.
9. Jones SA, Bowler PG, Walker M. Antimicrobial activity of silver-containing dressings is influenced by dressing conformability with a wound surface. Wounds. 2005;17(9):263-270.
10. Bowler PG, Jones SA, Walker M, Parsons D. Microbicidal properties of a silver-containing Hydrofiber® dressing against a variety of burn wound pathogens. J Burn Care Rehabil. 2004;25(2):192-196.

SOURCE ConvaTec