Introduction
Silver wound dressings are dressings infused with silver. The addition of silver to the material prevents infection, protects the wound from bacteria and stops the wound from being contaminated. They are used for healing cuts, scrapes and burns. It is advised not to use any antibacterial spray or ointment with these bandages because it may hamper the silver’s healing properties. It is particularly helpful for healing diabetic ulcers.
Market for Silver Wound Dressings
Infection is the biggest and most feared complication that can arise in a wound and can cause extended stays at the hospital and extra expenses and in some cases, extra discomfort. And thus the rise in the global demand for silver wound dressings. The global silver wound dressing market size was evaluated at USD 9.16billion in 2014 and is expected to reach USD 12.9 billion by 2022 rising at a CAGR of 4.4%. Increasing geriatric global population is the market driving factor for silver wound dressings because with the increase in age rises the risk ofchronic diseases such as ulcers.
North America accounts for more than 35% of the total market due to larger population over the age of 60 of which a larger portion of diabetic patients developing ulcers. Asia Pacific region is also expected to have increasing demand for silver wound dressings due to large population concentrated in India and China.
Why Silver?
Many kinds of dressings containing silver to avoid infection in wounds have been approved by the F.D.A. in U.S. and not without cause. It is found that apart from preventing infections the silver dressings reduce the wound size, limits the scarring and control leakage and odour both, better than other kinds of dressings which do not contain silver. It is also fantastic when used as anti-bacterial dressing or for fighting ulcers.
• Anti-bacterial property: It is found out that the bacteria which have developed a resistance to most anti-bacterial drugs have failed to develop a resistance to silver. Silver stops the metabolism of the bacteria and destroys its cell wall, completely stopping the growth of a hundred types of bacteria.
• Diabetic wounds: These wounds heal at a lower rate than normal wounds due to higher cytokine and chemokine levels and are highly sensitive to infection.Silver is well documented to exert antibacterial effects and thus it is used commonly for such wounds.
• Healing burns: These dressing cause faster healing, relieve pain and naturally stops the infection, and thus its use in burn wards is spreading rapidly.
Complications
Some side effects have been reported, and it was claimed that silver could collect in the organs, and restrain the proliferation of diabetic fibroblasts, which could resultin wound healing delay. However there were no proof of such claims and the accusations have been denied, making silver wound dressing our biggest bet against the infection.
Crystal Market Research published a report on “Silver Wound Dressings Market by Type and Treatment - Global Industry Analysis and Forecast to 2025” released and accessible at http://www.crystalmarketresearch.com/report/silver-wound-dressings-market