title: The thickness of exudate: does it matter?
abstract: The majority of chronic wounds are managed in the community by the district nursing team. With increasing constraints on the health-care budget, it can be tempting to manage exudate by focusing solely on the exudate-handling capability of some of the more absorbent dressings available. However, exudate levels and viscosity can change depending on the patient and the wound, with exudate being a marker of potential infection. Ongoing assessment of the wound, the exudate and the patient is pivotal to effective wound management, with timely and appropriate intervention being key. This article discusses this management, with particular focus on dealing with thick exudate.
authors.affiliation: Independent Nurse Consultant, Southport, Lancashire.
authors.forename: June
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D001458:Bandages; D003152:Community Health Nursing; D005122:Exudates and Transudates / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D014783:Viscosity; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*; D014946:Wound Infection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000451:nursing* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000382:microbiology / Q000451:nursing*
keywords: Dressings; Eudate; Wound assessment