Originally Published EMDM November/December 2002
INDUSTRY NEWS
Antimicrobial Wound Dressing Introduced |
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| A wound dressing is shown with and without an antimicrobial medical foam developed by Milliken Chemical and LMI. |
A silver-ion material that prevents bacterial contamination has been used as an additive in a medical foam for wound dressings. Developed by Lendell Manufacturing Inc. (LMI; St. Charles, MI, USA), the Microbisan absorbent dressing is the first to contain the antimicrobial Alphasan foam from Milliken Chemical (Ghent, Belgium).
LMI and Milliken jointly developed the product, according to Phil Sheridan, LMI technical and research director. The antimicrobial is added to the foam by means of a polyurethane production process that completely disperses the additive throughout the finished product. The antimicrobial in the foam keeps the wound free of bacterial contamination as the dressing absorbs wound fluids. Alphasan is effective over long periods of time, continuing to work even when dressings are changed infrequently.
A zirconium phosphate–based ceramic ion-exchange resin containing silver, Alphasan is effective against a range of microorganisms that can cause undesirable effects. The material is widely used in Europe, Japan, and the United States, and it has been approved by US FDA for contact applications.
For more information on Alphasan, contact Milliken Europe N.V., 18 Ham, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; phone: +32 9 2651084; fax: +32 9 2651195; e-mail: eurochem@milliken.com; Internet: www.milliken.com. For more information on the wound dressing, contact Lendell Manufacturing Inc., 5301 S. Graham Rd., St. Charles, MI 48655, USA; phone: +1 989 8658200; fax: +1 989 8658118; e-mail: info@lendell.com; Internet: www.lendell.com.
Copyright ©2002 European Medical Device Manufacturer
