Wound Dressing Materials

Hydrocolloids
• Action
– Occlusive, adhesive wafers
– Provides a moist environment
– For clean wound to granulate
– For necrotic wound- promote autolytic debridement
• Indications
– Superficial, partial thickness wounds
– Light to moderate exudate
– Wounds with slough or necrotic tissue
• Method of Use
– 2 cm margin of the dried surrounding skin is needed for good
adhesion
• Change frequency
– Usually 3- 7 days, depends on the wound condition and exudate
 Alginates
• Actions
– Derived from seaweed
– soft., non-woven fibres
– Absorb exudates up to 20 times of their weight
– Form a soft gel, maintain a moist environment for healing
• Indications
– Partial to full thickness wounds
– Moderate to heavy exudate
– Cavity or sinus wound
– Infected wounds
• Method of Use
– Light exudate- soak with normal saline solution
– Heavy exudate- put directly
• Change frequency
– Usually 12 hours to 4 days, depends.
 Film Dressing
• Actions
– Adhesive, semi permeable membrane
– Allow oxygen and water vapour to cross the barrier
– Impermeable to fluid and bacteria
– Moist environment to promote granulation
• Indications
– Superficial wounds
– Light or no exudate
– Necrotic or sloughy wounds
• Change frequency
– 24 or 72 hours, depends
 Hydrogels
• Actions
– Hydrogels are water or glycerin-based amorphous gel
or sheet dressings
– Unable to absorb large amounts of exudate
• Indications
– Partial to full thickness wounds
– Necrotic or sloughy wounds
– Light to moderate exudate
– Burns and tissue damage by radiation
• Change frequency
– Usually 12 to 48 hours, depends
 Hydrofibre
(Aquacel)
• Actions
– Soft, non-woven pad composed of hydrocolloid fibres
– Hydrophillic action
– Absorbing exudate vertically and entrapping it in the fibres
– It forms gel when it interacts with wound exudate
– Provide moist environment
• Indications
– Light to heavy exudate
– Dehisced wounds and sinuses
– Partial thickness burn wound
• Change frequency
– When saturated
– Infected wound- daily
– Non-infected wounds, not more than 7 days
 Tulle Gras
• Actions
– As a wound contact layer to reduce the
adherence of the dressing to granulating wounds
• Indications
– Minor traumatic injuries, ulcers, burns and skin
grafts
• Change frequency
– Every 12 to 24 hours, depends
 Non-adherent dressings
(melolin)
• Actions
– Have a plastic film or other non-sticking materials on their
contact surface to prevent them from adhering to the wound
– Plastic film can be perforated to allow the passage of exudate
• Indications
– Dry sutured wounds
– Superficial cuts
– Abrasions and lightly exudating lesions
• Change frequency
– Usually every 2 to 3 days
– Dry sutured wound – for 7 to 10 days