Rationale: Venous ulcer patients using compression wraps changed every seven days benefit from polymeric membrane dressings’ many unique qualities, such as continual cleansing of the wound bed and decreased pain and inflammation. The objective was to find a way to continue to give these patients the benefits derived from using polymeric membrane dressings while overcoming the moisture balance problem.

Methodology: A standard polymeric membrane dressing was applied to two patients with problematic scantly exudating venous ulcers, but an X was cut into the center so that excess fluid could still wick into the four-layer wraps. No routine wound bed cleansing or rinsing was done. Dressings were changed weekly.

Outcomes: Several other methods of hybridizing the polymeric membrane dressings were attempted, but the X-cut system was easy to use and produced consistently favorable results. When the X-cut system was used, even when the wounds bled, adherent scabs did not attach the wound beds to the dressings, and the dressings were removed atraumatically without extensive soaking. Both patients were very pleased, citing that they had no wound pain when this system was used and their wounds closed steadily.

Conclusion: The X-cut is a solution that may only be needed on a few patients, but for those patients, both the healing of their ulcers and their quality of life is significantly enhanced by this simple modification to polymeric membrane dressings.