What Dressing Draws Out Infection? Evidence-Based Options
What dressing draws out an infection?
The Quick Answer
**No dressing 'draws out' infection**—this is a dangerous misconception. Infection requires systemic antibiotics and debridement. Antimicrobial dressings (**iodine-impregnated**, **silver**, or **medical honey**) reduce bacterial load but don't eliminate established infection. Xeroform's mild bismuth action prevents colonization but cannot treat active infection—seek medical evaluation for purulent drainage, fever, or spreading redness.
Why We Ask This
Patients delay critical antibiotic treatment believing specialized dressings alone can resolve infection—allowing localized cellulitis to progress to systemic sepsis while applying increasingly aggressive topical agents that fail to address deep tissue bacterial invasion.
The Practical Science
Dressings manage surface bioburden but cannot penetrate biofilm or reach bacteria within tissue planes. NICE guidelines specify antimicrobial dressings only for wounds with clinical signs of infection (increased pain, exudate, odor) alongside systemic antibiotics—not as monotherapy for established infection.
In Clinical Practice
A diabetic foot ulcer with yellow slough and periwound erythema requires sharp debridement and culture-directed antibiotics—not just silver dressings. Antimicrobial dressings may be added adjunctively after debridement to prevent re-colonization during healing, but never replace systemic treatment for active infection.
References & Context
Antimicrobial dressings | Wound management | BNF - NICE"Dressings impregnated with iodine can be used to treat clinically infected wounds. Dressings containing silver should be used only when clinical signs or symptoms of infection are present."