Evaluating the performance of a new carboxymethyl cellulose dressing in the community setting.

This article describes a single-centre, non-comparative evaluation set out to assess the clinical performance and patient acceptability of a new carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) wound dressing. Twenty patients in a community setting, aged between 34-97 years, were recruited. The progression of various types of wounds with different levels of exudate was documented over 4 weeks. No adherence to the wound bed or painful removal was reported in 18 patients, and the peri-wound skin was the same or had improved in all patients. When compared with the previous CMC dressing used by the authors, the new CMC dressing reported a longer wear time. These findings show a positive clinical performance and suggest a potential financial advantage when using the new dressing.