There are some different types of wound drainage, which imply various conditions of the wound site. The amount of exudate a wound produces depends largely on the severity of the wound, the patient’s health, and the performed wound care. Although some wounds naturally ooze some fluid discharge, this fluid discharge can probably develop into wound fluid with unpleasant odor, which causes discomfort to the patient. Its amount may also increase, causing alarm to the patient, as excessive fluid can sometimes be a sign of infection. If you are suffering from certain wounds or lacerations that trigger a large amount of exudate, it is important to know how to look after the wound site, in order to minimize the risk of infection, despite the amount of discharge it produces.

How to stop fluid from wound

Large amount of wound fluid can be alarming and may cause extreme discomfort, as it slows down the healing process and may trigger recurrent leakage out of the applied wound dressings. There are some methods, treatments, and remedies that can be used to minimize the amount of fluid from certain wounds.

• Minimizing bacteria growth

Fluid discharge coming out of a wounded region of the body is commonly originated in bacteria overgrowth around the wound site. This does not only increase the amount of fluid discharge on the wound site, but also triggers pungent smell during wound healing. If the wound is covered or dressed with cotton gauze, this dressing will likely be smelly as well. One of those effective ways of minimizing the occurrence of this smell is by covering the wound with gauzes or bandages that contain odor-capturing substances, such as carbon or active charcoal. There are various kinds of carbon or charcoal-based wound dressings that can inhibit bacteria growth and thus, reduce the resulted odor and fluid discharge.

• Choosing the dressing material

The amount of wound fluid may also be affected by the material of wound dressings you are using to cover the wound site. Some dressings might only absorb the wound fluid discharge over the wettest or most moist area of the wound, while certain kinds of dry wound dressings can laterally spread these exudate over the entire layer of the fabric and thus, speed up the healing process. If you are suffering from wounds with large amount of fluid discharge, this wicking dressings will be very helpful to absorb the fluid from the entire wound area and thus, minimize its recurrent amount.

• Using gel-based wound dressings

Compared to cotton or cloth-based dressings, gel-based dressings are commonly more beneficial for wounds with a lot of exudate, in that these wound dressings have an ability to absorb large portion of these fluid discharge and prevent it from leaking. While conventional cloth-based dressings generally need to be changed daily, gel-based dressings can be kept adhered to the intact skin around the wound for more than two days after applied. Hence, it reduces the risk of re-bleeding, which increases the amount of fluid discharge on the wound site. Changing your conventional wound dressings with gel-based ones can make a huge difference in the amount of fluid from the wound.

• Applying antibacterial ointment

Topical ointments commonly contain anti-microbial substances that are beneficial for inhibiting bacteria growth in the wound site. When these bacteria are inhibited to grow, the body can release natural substances merely for promoting healing to the wound, instead of fighting any infesting bacteria. As a result, the foul odor can be minimized and the excessive fluid can be controlled more properly. In replacement to topical ointment, pure petroleum jelly can also be used to perform this task, as it promotes faster skin cell growth and skin regeneration.

• Elevating the wound site above the heart

This is a conventional method of reducing wound exudate, which can be practiced at home. Elevating the wound site above the heart will aid venous blood return, which reduces exudate. Moreover, elevation also helps the patient reduce the resulted pain sensation, so that the wound effects can still be more tolerable.

Read also: Types Of Wound Drainage

Measuring your wound exudate

Although it is normal for some wounds to produce a considerable amount of exudate, knowing how much exudate the wound had and continues to have is an important key to proper wound healing. This is important as abnormal amount of fluid from wound site can be a sign of infection. Below is a couple of considerations about wound exudate measurement.

• Any fluid from the wound should be monitored in daily basis. It is important to notice whether or not it is excessively increased within the first 24 or 36 hours after the injury.
• It is essential to pay attention to the color of the exudate, as opaque color is commonly a sign of inappropriate thing about the wound. Foul-odor fluid, thick pus, or continuous blood fluid should be examined by professionals.