Antimicrobial activity of non-medicated HydroClean®, a hydro-responsive wound dressing (HRWD^™) – a narrative review of the evidence

Aims To present recent evidence for the antimicrobial effect of a non-medicated wound dressing in wounds. Methods: An electronic search of key terms (“HydroClean” and “HRWD”) was undertaken in articles published between 1 January 1990 and 31 March 2024. Results: In all, seven articles met the inclusion criteria. Two articles were related to experimental studies, and the remaining five articles described clinical studies featuring non-medicated wound dressings. Conclusions: Non-medicated wound dressings’ (HydroClean®) effectiveness in exudate management includes the absorption and sequestration of damaging exudate components such as matrix metalloproteinases. Hydro-responsive wound dressings (HRWD™) promote removal of devitalised tissue which is a focus of microbial growth (such as wound biofilm), and results in a reduction in the clinical signs of infection. Non-medicated wound dressings that contain no active antimicrobial agent may be used to treat infected wounds via the physical characteristics of the dressing.