Interactive dressings and their role in moist wound management

Technological advances in the development of interactive wound dressings are reviewed. An important original work was that of George Winter, who demonstrated the value of a moist wound environment in wound healing. Recent advances in wound management incorporate new technologies that interact with the wound at a cellular level rather than simply reducing moisture loss. The balance of moisture is critical to healing and this principle has been the driving force in the development of products that are currently available such as hydrogels, hydrocolloids, alginates, and foams and films. Many interactive dressings are able to work actively with wound properties such as wound exudate, tissues, cells and some growth factors to enhance healing.