Vexoderm Wound Healing

FAQ

What is Vexoderm Sterile Dressing?

Vexoderm Sterile Dressing is a new generation wound dressing for moist wound care in dogs, cats and horses.

What is Moist Wound Healing?

Moist wound healing is the practice of keeping a wound in an optimally moist environment in order to promote faster healing.
Research has shown that moist wound healing is quicker than the healing of wounds that are allowed to dry out.

What are the components of Vexoderm Sterile Dressing?

Vexoderm Sterile Dressing has two components that have to be combined just before application on the wound: a 100% plant origin matrix and an antioxidant solution.

How does Vexoderm Sterile Dressing work?

The matrix manages the exudate thanks to its high absorption capacity, and the antioxidant solution cleans and detoxifies the wound, keeping the wound bed under proper moist conditions for perfect wound repair.

What are the benefits of using Vexoderm Sterile Dressing?

The main benefits of Vexoderm Sterile Dressing are:

Vexoderm Sterile Dressing debrides wounds, naturally eliminating necrotic tissues.
Vexoderm Sterile Dressing helps with the fast production of very good quality granulation tissue.
Vexoderm Sterile Dressing promotes healthy re-epithelisation.

In what types of wounds can Vexoderm Sterile Dressing be used?

Vexoderm Sterile Dressing can be used in the majority of skin wounds in dogs, cats, and horses such as wounds due to polytraumatisms, bites, necrosis, ulcers, surgical wounds, and wound dehiscence.

How do I handle infected wounds?

It is important to distinguish between contamienation/colonisation and infection, which depends on bacterial load and type of bacteria.
Wound bacterial colonisation does not damage the tissue, whereas infection damages the tissue and causes inflammation.
If the wound is infected, apply systemic antibiotics following your clinic's starndard protocol.
In heavily infected wounds, one or two day treatment with a topical antiseptic might be recommended before applying Vexoderm Sterile Dressing. Closely monitor the animal and wound during the first few days after initial wound treatment with Vexoderm Sterile Dressing.

Does keeping wound covered increase the risk of infection?

No. Actually, scientific studies have demonstrated that keeping wounds uncovered and dry increases the risk of infection.

How do I clean skin wounds before applying Vexoderm Sterile Dressing?

Skin wounds should be cleaned with large quantities of warm Ringer's Lactate solution or saline unde rpressure.
Using a syringe can help obtain higher pressure to eliminate dead tissue and contaminants.

How do I apply Vexoderm Sterile Dressing?

Closely follow user instructions on the package insert:

Hydrate the matrix with the solution. It will take about 60 seconds to absorb the whole solution. Upon hydration, the matrix will maintain 50% of its absorption capacity.
Clean and prepare the wound using sterile materials, Ringer's Lactate or saline solution.
Apply Vexoderm Sterile Dressing directly on the wound.
Cover with a secondary dressing (e.g. petrolatum gauze, transparent polyurethane film, etc.) to maintain humidity.
Cover the secondary dressing with cotton to keep the proper temperature.
Use a bandage and adhesive tape or a self-adhering elastic bandage to protect and hold the whole bandage in place.

It is very important to properly place Vexoderm Sterile Dressing in order to achieve all its benefits.

Can I cut the matrix of Vexoderm Sterile Dressing?

Yes. After hydration of the matrix, Vexoderm can be cut to fit the wound bed.
Discard the rest of the matrix that is not used.

Do I have to use the entire hydration solution?

Yes. Using the whole volume of the antioxidant solution included in Vexoderm Sterile Dressing's package, an appropriate hydration level of the matrix is obtained.
This helps with the neutralisation of excessive ROS in the exudate as well as with the hydration of the wound.
Enough absorption capacity for the exudate will remain in the matrix.

The wound is very dry. Can I use more liquid?

During the healing process the exudate level will derease.
In very dry wounds, if requred, after hydration of the matrix, normal saline can be added to Vexoderm Sterile Dressing to increas the level of moisture in the wound bed and to imporve wound healing conditions.

The wound is very exudative. Do I have to continue using the hydration solution?

Yes. The hydration solution hydates the matrix only partially, allowing the wound dressing to continue absorbing the exudate.
If the wound is very exudative, a secondary dressing with higher absorption capacity should be used.
You can also include more gauze or cotton over the primary dressing.

Do I have to cover the entire lesion?

Yes. For optimal moist wound healing care, the entire area of the skin lesions should be covered.

Can I keep the hydrated matrix for a different day?

No. Once opened sterility of the product is compromised.

Do I always have to use a secondary wound dressing?

Yes. Vexoderm Sterile Dressing is a parimary dressing that needs a secondary dressing to maintain the proper moist environment and keep the dressing in place.

What kind of secondary wound dressing can I use with Vexoderm Sterile Dressing?

Any secondary dressing recommended for moist wound healing can be used with Vexoderm Sterile Dressing to maintain a moist environment and to fix the primary dressing on the wound.
Some examples are petrolatum impregnated gauzes or impermeable dressing or secondary dressings that avoid drying of the wound.

Do I have to cover the secondary dressing with cotton?

Yes. For proper wouond healing under moist wound care, the skin lesion should be maintained at a constant temperature, and this can be achieved covering the region with large quantities of cotton.

Do I have to place a bandage?

Yes. If the secondary dressing does not keep Vexoderm Sterile Dressing in place, we recommend covering the area with a bandage.
The following procedure works properly:

Cover the clean wound with Vexoderm Sterile Dressing
Lay impregnated gauzes over Vexoderm Sterile Dressing
Cover it with cotton and place a bandage

How often should Vexoderm Sterile Dressing be changed?

Dressing changes depend on the wound's exudate level.
Using Vexoderm Sterile Dressing we usually recommend changing the dressing every 7 days.
In necrotic or very exudative wounds, inspection of the wound and dressing after 2-4 days may be necessary.
If the wound is very exudative, the dressing should be changed more frequently.
In contrast, if the wound has little exudate, wound dressing may be changed less frequently.
It is important to amintain the dressing during an adequate period of time to help cellular proliferation and wound closure.

How do I remove Vexoderm Sterile Dressing?

Carefully remove the bandage, the secondary dressing and Vexoderm Sterile Dressing off the wound. Vexoderm Sterile Dressing does not adhere to the wound and is easily removed.
Clean the exudate with Ringer's Lactate or saline solution.
Examine the wound and cover it with a new Vexoderm Sterile Dressing.

What steps should be taken if Vexoderm Sterile Dressing is found to have dried out when the dressing is changed?

If moisture has not been handled properly and Vexoderm dressing appears dry and adhered to the wound bed, in order to avoid damage to the wound bed, before attemptint to remove it, the matrix should first be sprayed with saline solution to rehydrate it.
The matrix should the be drawn away carefully as it detaches from the wound bed.
At the next dressing change, appropriate measures should be taken to prevent Vexoderm dressing from drying out (using a secondary dressing without absorption capacity, further hydrating the matrix with saline solution, using amorphous or shaped hydrogel).

An odour emanates from the bandage covering Vexoderm Sterile Dressing. What should I do?

Depending of the type of wound, dressing, animal and breed, sometimes an odour can be detected in the wound dressing area.
This odour is common to moist wound healing and should be distinguished from the smell of an infection.
The cysteine in Vexoderm Sterile Dressing can also release hydrogen sulfide groups which have a sulfur smell.

When I remove the bandage, a yellow-greenish coloured exudate is present. Is it bad?

This exudate is not always a sign of infection and helps in obtaining the right conditions for cell proliferation and wound progression.
This exudate can be easily removed off the wound bed with a solution, such as Ringer's Lactate or saline before the next application of the Vexoderm Sterile Dressing.

How long should I keep using Vexoderm Sterile Dressing?

Keep covering the wound region with Vexoderm Sterile Dressing until complete re-epithelisation is obtained.

The wound is closed. Do I need to do anything else?

Yes. The new tissue covering the wound is not as strong as the original skin and it should be protected from further injuries.
Hydration of the area with creams, ointments or oils is recommended.