The case study presented is a 98 year old former headmistress who was involved in a road traffic accident, (RTA). On admission to the hospital she underwent a Knee replacement and toileting of a degloving injury to the tibial crest area of her right leg.

An absorbent antimicrobial barrier dressing* was applied in theatre to achieve: • Haemostasis. The alginate in the absorbent has haemostatic properties. • Bactericidal activity. This was a dirty traumatic wound with a prosthesis. • Control of the inflammatory response following trauma. It was hoped that by controlling this we would reduce the amount of tissue lost.

Complete wound healing i.e. full epithelialisation, was achieved in six weeks. This lady was discharged to her own home fully independent within six weeks.

Historically this type of injury in a person of this age, if not life threatening, does result in an extended length of stay in hospital or care facility. It also attracts a prolonged wound management programme to achieve full healing and in some cases skin grafting.

The management of this patient represents a cost-effective use of resources resulting in a very successful outcome for both the care provider and the care recipient.