Wound Dressings Overview
Wound Dressings Overview Absorbent Dressings Alginate Dressings Antimicrobial Dressings Film Dressings Foam Dressings Properties Advantages Disadvantages Product forms • Either low absorbent or super absorbent pads. • Made from a variety of materials. • Super absorbent pads contain an inner absorbent core capable of absorbing moderate to high amounts of exudate. • Made from seaweed • Biodegradable. • Absorbs up to 20 times weight in wound fluid. • Used in moderate to high exuding wounds. • Delivers a sustained release of antimicrobial agents to wound bed. • Reduces likelihood of resistant bacteria developing in wound bed. • Typically gets its antimicrobial activity from silver, iodine or polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB). • Transparent, flexible, breathable adherent and non-absorbent wound dressings. • Have no intrinsic absorbency. • Made from thin sheets of polyurethane coated with layer of adhesive. • Hydrophilic (attracts fluid which aids in absorption). • Made from foamed polymer solutions (most commonly polyurethane) with small, open cells capable of holding fluids. • Use as a secondary dressing to absorb exudate. • Provides a moist wound-healing environment. • Suitable for bleeding wounds. • Keeps nerve ending moist. • Can reduce pain. • Antimicrobial agents are progressively released into wound bed. • Absorbs exudate and bacteria. • Aids autolytic debridement. • Promotes a moist wound healing environment. • Protects wound surface and maintains a moist wound healing environment. • Provides a barrier against microbes, chemicals, friction and fluid. • Allows moisture vapour and gases to escape but is water-resistant. • Can act as blister roof and second skin. • Can be used to reduce friction over bony prominences. • Maintains thermal temperature in wound. • Facilitates a moist wound environment. • Highly absorbent • Protects intact skin from friction. • Conforms to uneven body surfaces. • Must be removed carefully as the dressing is only low adherent and may stick to the wound. • Can cause peri wound maceration. • Usually require fixation to stay in place. • Can only be used on exuding wounds. • Requires a secondary dressing. • Must be cut to size of wound. • Must be changed daily to second daily. • May require fixation to stay in place. • Should only be used for short periods. • May be contraindicated for people with sensitivities and/or pregnancy. • Excessive exudate may pool under dressing and macerate surrounding skin. • Should not be used on fragile compromised skin because they strongly adhere to dry skin and can cause trauma to good skin when removed. • May macerate peri wound skin if it becomes saturated. • Need to ensure foam is laid the right way up. • Range of pad sizes • Rolls • Adherent and non-adherent • Varying sheet sizes • Ropes • Varying delivery systems, shapes, and sizes • Sheets • Ropes • Impregnated mesh • Paste • Powders • Varying sheet sizes and shapes. • New generation films are coated with silicone adhesive. • Some include a nonstick pad known as an island dressing. • Varying cavity filling shapes and sheets. © Independence Australia Group 2019. No part of this fact sheet may be reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without permission.
