ConvaTec Aquacel Ag Surgical SP Cover Dressing — Silver Hydrofiber, 14-Day Antimicrobial, Slim Profile, 5 Sizes

Hydrofiber technology. Ionic silver. 14-day sustained antimicrobial activity. Slim profile designed for post-operative incision management. ConvaTec Aquacel Ag Surgical SP is a sterile, self-adherent combination cover dressing built specifically for closed surgical wounds healing by primary intent. It combines three distinct technologies in a single slim-profile unit: a waterproof polyurethane film outer barrier, a skin-friendly hydrocolloid adhesive layer that flexes with body movement for patient comfort, and ConvaTec's proprietary Hydrofiber layer with ionic silver that manages the serosanguinous fluid typical of post-operative incisions while delivering sustained broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity at the incision site for up to 14 days as demonstrated in vitro. The SP (Slim Profile) design keeps the dressing low-bulk and highly conformable — it moves with the patient, stays secure through normal activity and showering, and reduces the skin blistering and adhesive trauma associated with bulkier post-operative dressings. Available in five rectangle sizes scaled to surgical incision lengths from 3½" x 4" to 3½" x 14".

✔ Hydrofiber with Ionic Silver — Manages Serosanguinous Fluid & Provides Antimicrobial Activity    ✔ 14-Day Sustained Antimicrobial Activity (In Vitro)    ✔ Waterproof Film Barrier — Viral, Bacterial & Water Barrier    ✔ Slim Profile (SP) — Flexible, Conformable, Low-Bulk    ✔ Skin-Friendly Hydrocolloid — Comfortable Through Body Movement    ✔ Reduces SSI, Skin Blistering & Delayed Discharge

Product Details & Available Sizes

Indicated For

• Closed surgical wounds healing by primary intent — any surgical procedure where the incision is closed with sutures, staples, or wound closure strips
• Post-operative incision management — orthopedic surgery (total hip, total knee, spine), cardiac and thoracic surgery, abdominal and colorectal surgery, vascular surgery, and any procedure where SSI risk is a clinical priority
• Incisions at elevated risk for surgical site infection — patients with diabetes, obesity, immunosuppression, or prior wound complications
• Incisions requiring waterproof protection for patient mobility and bathing during the post-operative period

Not indicated for: Open wounds, wounds healing by secondary intent, or heavily exudating wounds — for these, Aquacel Ag Foam or Aquacel Ag Hydrofiber dressings are more appropriate. Not for use on infected wounds without clinical management direction.

Why Surgical Site Infection Prevention Starts at the Dressing

Surgical site infections (SSIs) remain one of the most common and costly post-operative complications — accounting for a significant proportion of hospital readmissions, delayed discharge, and reoperations across surgical specialties. The post-operative incision is the primary portal of entry for the bacteria that cause SSIs, and the dressing covering that incision during the critical 7–14 day healing window is the first line of defense against microbial colonization. Standard post-operative dressings provide a passive physical barrier — they cover the incision but deliver no active antimicrobial protection. Aquacel Ag Surgical SP adds active ionic silver antimicrobial activity to that barrier, targeting the incision environment directly at the tissue surface where bacterial colonization begins.

Clinical evidence on silver surgical dressings across multiple specialties has demonstrated meaningful reductions in SSI rates, skin blistering, and delayed discharge compared to standard post-operative dressings:

• Orthopedic surgery — reduced SSI rates in total hip and knee arthroplasty; reduced skin blistering and blister-related complications that delay wound closure and rehabilitation
• Cardiac surgery — reduced incidence of sternal wound infections following sternotomy
• Colorectal surgery — reduced SSI rates in colon and rectal procedures where contamination risk is elevated
• Spinal surgery — reduced infection rates following instrumented lumbar procedures
• General surgery — reduction in superficial and deep SSI rates across a range of abdominal procedures

The Three-Layer Construction — Why Each Layer Matters for Post-Operative Use

Layer 1 — Waterproof Polyurethane Film: The outer film provides a complete waterproof, bacterial, and viral barrier that protects the closed incision from external contamination throughout the wear period. Critically, the barrier remains effective during showering and bathing — a practical requirement for post-operative patients returning to normal activity. The film is vapor-permeable, allowing moisture vapor to escape outward and preventing the excessive moisture buildup under the dressing that causes skin maceration and the blistering that complicates incision healing.

Layer 2 — Skin-Friendly Hydrocolloid Adhesive: The hydrocolloid adhesive layer is what defines the SP (Slim Profile) design. Traditional post-operative dressings use rigid film adhesives that resist body movement — at joints and high-motion sites like knees, hips, and shoulders, these dressings create tension on the skin as the body flexes, leading to mechanical skin blistering at the dressing edge and along the adhesive zone. The flexible hydrocolloid adhesive in Aquacel Ag Surgical SP is designed to move with the skin during body movement rather than resisting it — distributing mechanical stress across a larger adhesive surface and dramatically reducing the blistering that is both a patient comfort issue and a wound complication risk. The hydrocolloid also maintains consistent adhesion across the skin surface changes that occur during the post-operative period as swelling resolves.

Layer 3 — Hydrofiber with Ionic Silver: The innermost layer in direct contact with the closed incision combines ConvaTec's Hydrofiber CMC technology with ionic silver at 1.2% w/w. In the post-operative context, closed incisions produce serosanguinous fluid — a mix of serum and blood — during the first several days as the wound closes and the inflammatory phase of healing progresses. Standard dressings absorb this fluid passively into gauze or foam; the Hydrofiber layer gels on contact with serosanguinous fluid, locking it into the gel structure and preventing it from pooling at the wound surface where it would create a growth medium for bacteria. Simultaneously, the ionic silver within the Hydrofiber releases continuously into this gel environment, delivering broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity directly at the incision surface for up to 14 days across two consecutive applications.

• Waterproof film barrier — protects incision from external bacteria throughout wear; allows showering
• Flexible hydrocolloid adhesive — moves with body, reduces skin blistering at high-motion surgical sites
• Hydrofiber gels on contact with serosanguinous fluid — locks fluid and bacteria away from incision
• Ionic silver 1.2% w/w — sustained broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity at the incision surface
• 14-day antimicrobial coverage across two 7-day applications — covers full early post-operative SSI risk window
• Slim profile — low-bulk, conformable, virtually invisible under clothing
• Single-product solution — no separate island dressing, no separate antimicrobial layer, no tape

Aquacel Ag Surgical SP vs. Standard Post-Operative Dressings

Standard post-operative island dressings (gauze pad + film or foam border) provide a passive physical barrier with no active antimicrobial component, rigid film adhesives that resist body movement, and opaque backing that prevents wound assessment without removal. Aquacel Ag Surgical SP addresses all three limitations: the hydrocolloid adhesive flexes with movement to reduce blistering, the Hydrofiber silver layer actively manages fluid and kills bacteria at the incision surface, and the slim conformable profile stays secure without the bulk and edge-lift problems of thicker post-operative dressings.

Choosing the Right Size

• 413557 — 3½" x 4": Short incisions — arthroscopic port sites, small laparoscopic incisions, pacemaker pocket incisions, minor surgical procedures, and any closed incision up to approximately 2" in length
• 413556 — 3½" x 6": Medium incisions — larger laparoscopic incisions, shoulder arthroscopy portal sites, small open procedures, and incisions up to approximately 4" in length
• 413555 — 3½" x 10": Long incisions — total knee arthroplasty, tibial/fibular fixation, anterior hip approach, spine access incisions, and incisions up to approximately 8" in length
• 413553 — 3½" x 14": Extended incisions — total hip arthroplasty (posterior approach), lumbar fusion, open abdominal procedures, cardiac sternotomy, and long incisions up to approximately 12" in length

Sizing protocol: select a dressing that extends at least 1" beyond the incision end on both sides. All sizes are 3½" wide — appropriate for standard surgical incision widths including the staple/suture margin on both sides.

Not sure which size fits your procedure? Call 1-866-218-0902 — Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm EST

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Questions about Aquacel Ag Surgical SP or any of our post-operative wound dressings? Call 1-866-218-0902 — our team is ready to help.