Management of cavity wounds in practice - Best practice statement

Jacqui Fletcher, Trudie Clark, Luxmi Dhoonmoon, Fiona Downie, Leila Ercan, Debbie Johnstone, Andrew Sharpe, Joy Tickle, Kim Whitlock

Clear guidance is needed to give clinicians knowledge and confidence in dealing with cavity wounds of all types.

To address this gap, a group of experts met in London in September 2024 to share experiences, discuss challenges in managing cavity wounds, establish standardised definitions, and provide practical guidance for clinicians.

This resulting best practice statement is based on the discussions and opinions of the expert group. The document aims to provide guidance for practice, including the following areas:

• Overview and definitions of cavity wounds
• Special considerations unique to cavity wounds
• Exudate management
• Dressing selection
• Patient considerations.

This document also includes a glossary of terms relating to cavity wounds [Appendix 1], to demystify practice and standardise definitions. The overall aim is to increase clinicians’ knowledge and confidence and, ultimately, improve outcomes for patients with cavity wounds.

^{This document has been developed by Wounds UK and is supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Mölnlycke Health Care}