Nonleaching Antimicrobial Available in Wound Dressing

An innovative wound dressing serves as a barrier to infection, killing germs absorbed into the dressing without interfering with tissue healing.

The Nimbus (Novel Intrinsically MicroBonded Utility Substrate) dressing employs a family of advanced antimicrobial polymers that destroy bacteria at the cellular level, thereby eliminating the risk of developing drug resistance. Unlike other microbicides, the Nimbus technology works by creating a permanent bond with a multitude of substrates (without leaching) and is less than 10% the cost of silver-based antimicrobials. The active agent is highly effective, including against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), and maintains its effectiveness even in the presence of large amounts of proteinaceous exudates. The dressing also inhibits the proliferation of viruses and fungi, including those that cause causes athlete's foot and mildew.

Key benefits of the dressing include a flexible design, enabling it to be manufactured in a variety of different forms; a form factor that allows for the addition of dyes or other active agents; and a highly absorbent capacity and hemostatic action that enables the dressing to absorb excess fluids and stop hemorrhaging. The Nimbus Dressing is a product of Quick-Med Technologies (Gainesville, FL, USA); the company is developing further applications in several other advanced wound dressing formats, including adhesives, foams, hydrogels, films, and hydrocolloids.

"We believe that being the only nonleaching antimicrobial dressing represents an important distinction,” said J. Ladd Greeno, CEO of Quick-Med. "Other antimicrobial dressings rely on the release of chemicals into the wound bed that can impede the wound healing process.”

Leaching refers to the removal of a substance from a carrier via a liquid extraction process; the components diffuse into a solvent (such as blood or exudate) from its natural form. Examples of leaching include the removal of sugar from sugar beets with hot water, as well as the removal of nickel salts or gold from their natural solid beds with sulfuric acid solutions.

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