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In the previous issue of the PolyMem® QuadraFoam® Quarterly, we discussed the continuous cleansing capabilities of PolyMem QuadraFoam dressings. Our focus in this issue is on PolyMem dressings’ ability to help relieve both persistent wound pain and procedure-related pain. In 1995, the American Pain Society termed pain the “fifth vital sign.” The wound care community has increasingly acknowledged the need to assess and manage patients’ pain in order to improve their quality of life. Wound pain includes the pain patients experience at dressing changes as well as persistent pain related to the wound itself. Patients with multiple comorbidities cannot always use NSAIDs or other pain medication to reduce the wound pain they are experiencing. Helping to decrease both wound-related pain and procedural pain can lead to a better relationship between caregivers and patients while improving patient outcomes.

PolyMem QuadraFoam dressings continuously cleanse the wound bed (as discussed in Volume 1, Issue 3) and are non-adherent to the wound bed, usually eliminating any procedure-related pain caused by dressing changes. But more importantly, PolyMem QuadraFoam dressings help relieve both the intermittent and continuous wound pain patients often experience. The dressings have been shown to alter the response of an important group of pain sensing nerve endings that are throughout the body.+ These nerve endings are technically referred to as “nociceptors.” These pain-sensing nerve endings play important roles in the patient’s perception of wound pain and the creation of inflammation, bruising, and edema seen at and around an injury. The drug-free PolyMem dressings help relieve pain, inflammation, bruising, and edema at and around the wound. The robust localized inflammatory response required for healing the wound is not interrupted when using PolyMem dressings. Clinicians frequently report PolyMem dressings help reduce acute and chronic wound pain as well as procedural pain to such an extent that their patients’ need for either systemic or topical analgesia is often eliminated.

Sincerely,
Roger Sessions, D.O., FACEP
Chairman and CEO

PolyMem QuadraFoam and Wound Pain Relief

“The perception of pain is an uncomfortable awareness of some part of the body… best described as a threat.”*

Pain is considered the fifth vital sign, which must be assessed and monitored during treatment. There are two major categories of pain: neuropathic and nociceptive.* Neuropathic pain signals there is a problem in the nervous system, whether it be damage or malfunction. Nociceptive pain is the result of tissue damage.* Nociceptive pain is often referred to as “inflammatory pain” because activation of the nociceptor nerve endings results in signs of inflammation which includes pain, edema, and bruising at and around the injury site.**

Pain can also be classified by the amount of time it lasts: acute or chronic pain.* Acute pain is usually defined as pain that lasts for a period of less than three months.* Once the underlying cause has been addressed, the patient is usually relieved of their pain.* Prolonged pain that lasts for longer than three months is defined as chronic pain.* Patients suffering from this type of pain may experience a decrease in their general health with no observable underlying cause.* Acute pain is usually a nociceptive response but chronic pain can be either nociceptive, neuropathic or both.* Patient care goals include reducing both acute and chronic pain.

PolyMem dressings have been shown to help inhibit the nociceptor response while still facilitating healing of the wound.+ Current laboratory research suggests that sodium ions may be absorbed, by capillary action, from the skin and subcutaneous tissues.† This local decrease in sodium ions would cause reduced nerve conduction in the nociceptor system, accounting for the reduced inflammation, pain, edema, and bruising reported when using PolyMem dressings.+

The glycerol moisturizer in PolyMem dressings helps patients to experience pain-free dressing changes as the dressings will not adhere to the wound bed. The use of these drug-free dressings often help a patient return to his or her activities of daily living.

PolyMem dressings are available in our silver formulation for wounds that require the additional antimicrobial benefits of reduced microorganisms as well as with or without adhesive borders.

For more information on the PolyMem family of dressings and their ability to help relieve wound and procedure-related pain, please contact us.

+ Beitz AJ, Newman A, Kahn AR, Ruggles T, Eikmejer L. A polymeric membrane dressing with antinociceptive properties: analysis with a rodent stab wound secondary hyperalgesia; The Journal of Pain. February, 2004; 5(1):38-47
*Abraham SE, Young S. Understanding Pain Mechanisms in Podiatry Management. April/May 2007:215-224.
**Pain Brochure, MKL-251
† Sessions RC. Evidence for a drug-free dressing’s ability to decrease wound pain. 23rd Annual Clinical Symposium on Advances in Skin & Wound Care. October 26 - 30, 2008. Las Vegas, NV USA.

Featured Case Study

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Example of how PolyMem helped reduce wound pain with pain medication being eliminated.