Effectiveness of wound care products in the transmission of acoustic energy

Background and Purpose. Ultrasound is often recommended in the treatment of people with partial and full-thickness wounds. Many treatments are perform ed over a hydrogel sheet or semipermeable film dressing. The purpose of thi s in vitro study was to examine the effectiveness of 4 hydrogels (Nu-Gel, C learSite, Aquasorb Border, and CarraDres) and 4 film dressings (CarraSmart Film, J&J Bioclusive, Tegaderm, and Opsite Flexigrid) in ultrasound transmi ssion. Methods. The amount of sound energy transmitted through each product and interposed pig tissue was measured using an oscilloscope to display th e intensity of sound energy delivered by the transducer. Five intensities a t a frequency of 3.3 MHz were studied. Results. Results were expressed as t he mean (+/-SD) percentage of voltage transmitted compared with a gel basel ine. Nu-Gel was the most efficient hydrogel (77.2%+/-4.6%), followed by Cle arSite (72.0%+/-2.2%), Aquasorb Border (45.3%+/-2.1%),and CarraDres (42.8%/-5.9%). The 4 film dressings, in order of efficiency, were CarraSmart Film (60.5%+/-4.4%), J&J Bioclusive (53.2%+/-2.4%), Tegaderm (47.1%+/-2.3%), an d Opsite Flexigrid (31.5%+/-4.0%). Conclusion and Discussion, Transmissivit y of wound care products used to deliver acoustic energy during ultrasound treatment of wounds varies greatly among dressing products. We believe that clinicians can use our findings as a part of the clinical reasoning proces s that they use to select an optimal wound dressing.