HemCon Wound Dressing

HemCon Wound Dressing

Zimmer Dental

HemCon enables rapid, suture-free wound sealing, hemostasis, and healing.

Zimmer Dental calls HemCon “a significant step forward in extraction and oral wound care,” enabling rapid sealing of the wound bed without the need for primary closure. The selfadhesive dressing is made of chitosan, a naturally occurring, biocompatible polysaccharide that stabilizes the clot and permits natural healing.

HemCon is appropriate for a range of applications, including extractions, free gingival graft donor sites, biopsies, and soft-tissue wounds. It comes in 1" x 3" and 10 mm x 12 mm sizes.

Suture-Free Wound Sealing

HemCon is a clinically effective hemostatic device, significantly shortening postprocedure bleeding times even for patients taking anticoagulants.¹ Of the 14 dentists who participated in this evaluation, 5 rated HemCon’s ability to seal the wound quickly as excellent and 9 rated it as very good to good. One dentist said, “For socket grafting, I believe suturing is necessary to reliably hold the dressing in position.” Another dentist cited “ability to stay in place” as the feature he liked most, and 5 identified suture-free sealing/adherence as their favorite feature.

HemCon is easily trimmed to fit any bleeding oral wound. After a small amount of blood is allowed to surface (to facilitate adhesion), a dry instrument is used to place the dressing on the site, which should not be packed. Direct pressure is applied until HemCon adheres and the wound is stabilized. Then, before the patient is discharged, correct positioning is confirmed with a visual inspection.

Ease of Use

Six evaluators rated ease of use as excellent and 8 rated it as very good to good. Two evaluators said the material was sticky, making it “a little difficult to handle.” A dentist who called it “a little bulky for palatal graft sites… much better for extraction sites” went on to say that he would probably purchase HemCon in the future and recommend it to colleagues.

Six evaluators cited ease of use as their favorite feature; 1 noted the “simple application process,” another called it “quite user-friendly…well thoughtout,” and a third called it “totally easy to use as soon as it’s out of the package.”

Wound Healing

A 2008 study revealed that, compared to controls, patients receiving HemCon experienced improved surgical wound healing.1 Rather than absorbing blood, HemCon stabilizes the clot by attracting red blood cells. Healing occurs naturally as the dressing dissolves—in up to 7 days but usually within 48 hours—leaving the site free of foreign material. If needed, residual materials can be washed away with irrigation. HemCon also provides pain relief by creating a physical barrier that protects the wound bed from irritation.

Thirteen evaluators rated healing time—2 rated it as excellent, 7 rated it as very good, and 4 rated it as good. One general practitioner cited the “ability to use it for extraction bleeding control” as a feature he’d like to see improved. A dentist who called it much better than similar dressings noted “faster, smooth wound healing” and “excellent results in surgical extraction sites and surprisingly fast healing in an oroantral fistula repair case.” Another dentist described it as “great as far as a pain reliever.” A third evaluator said, “The wound responds very nicely to the material. Bleeding time is reduced and the patient is more comfortable much more quickly.”

Overall Satisfaction

Overall satisfaction was rated as excellent by 5 evaluators, as very good by 7, and as good by 2. Eleven evaluators said they would definitely or probably purchase HemCon in the future and 12 would definitely or probably recommend it. A general practitioner who rated all features as excellent called it a “great product,” noting that it “definitely helps with hemostasis and wound healing.” A California evaluator with 29 years of experience said, “Anything that improves healing times and comfort should be utilized.” He said, “It’s best for our patients to have this material in all extraction sites. There’s no excuse to not use it.”

Reference

1. Malmquist JP, Clemens SC, Oien HJ, et al. Hemostasis of oral surgery wounds with the HemCon Dental Dressing. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2008;66:1177-1183.

Editor’s Note: HemCon has not been approved for hemostasis in the United States.