Excess fluid production has always been an issue with wounds such as leg ulcers and pressure ulcers. This results from a combination of interstitial fluid being released from damaged tissue and exudate being released from the blood stream as a secondary effect of inflammation. Wounds such as leg ulcers and pressure ulcers (sometimes refered to as chronic wounds or wounds healing by secondary intention) are frequently in a state of inflammation and one of the effects of the inflammatory response is vasodilation. This in turn results in an increase in the amount of exudate released from the blood stream. 

The production of fluid from chronic wounds is often considered a bad thing and most dressings seek to address this by absorbing wound exudate. Wound fluid, however, is not altogether bad. Among the constituents of exudate are growth factors, enzymes and other proteins that are essential to wound healing⁶. One role of certain growth factors is to stimulate wound repair, while enzymes are involved in both the breakdown of dead tissue (necessary for wound healing) and the regulation of tissue breakdown. Other proteins, such as collagen, are crucial to normal wound healing. 

Traditional dressings are not selective in terms of what they absorb (see animation below). Factors that stimulate healing will be taken into the body of a traditional dressing along with the wound fluid. CUTINOVA^◊ Hydro, however, selectively absorbs mainly water, leaving elements that are essential to wound healing, such as growth factors and other natural proteins, in the wound⁶. 

Traditional Dressings are not selective in terms of what they absorb.

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