ACTICOAT ANTIBACTERIAL DRESSING

ACTICOAT is an antimicrobial barrier dressing with an absorbent inner core that aides in the maintenance of a moist wound environment in the presence of exudate. Utilising SILCRYST nanocrystalline silver technology to provide a fast bacterial kill (demonstrated in-vitro), it is effective against a broad spectrum of gram positive, gram negative and fungal wound pathogens (in-vitro) including antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as pseudomonas, methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (in-vitro).

Patient benefits:

• ACTICOAT assists faster healing
• Gago et al (2008) show a faster time to resolution of infection compared to other silver dressings
• Provides a decrease in odour causing bacteria (demonstrated in-vitro)
• Less painful (compared to SSD)
• Studies conducted provide evidence showing a reduced number of dressing changes compared to traditional standards of care
• Decreased in-patient stay when ACTICOAT is used in burns has been (demonstrated by Tredget et al)

Indications:

Indicated as an antimicrobial barrier layer over partial and full thickness wounds such as pressure ulcers, leg ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers, burns, recipient graft sites and catheter insertion sites.

ACTICOAT may be used on infected wounds / catheter insertion sites (5cm x 5cm). Where the product is used on infected wounds / catheter insertion sites (5cm x 5cm) the infection should be inspected and treated as per local clinical protocol.

Contraindications:

• Do not use on patients with a known sensitivity to silver
• Do not use on a patient undergoing MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) examination

Precautions:

• For external use only
• ACTICOAT is not compatible with oil-based products, such as petrolatum
• Avoid contact with electrodes or conductive gels during electronic measurements e.g. EEG and ECG
• Do not use if product colour is not uniform
• Occasionally transient pain on application of ACTICOAT has been reported. This can be minimised by carefully following the application instructions. Should continuous pain be experienced after application remove the dressing and discontinue use
• ACTICOAT should only be used on premature infants less than 37 weeks gestation when the clinical benefit outweighs potential risks. No clinical data is available in this age group and only limited data is available for use in neonates
• ACTICOAT is a single use only product. If used on more than one patient, cross contamination or infection may occur. In addition, the antimicrobial properties of the product will be compromised. Opening the dressing pack compromises the sterile barrier therefore any unused dressing should not be retained for application at a later date.