Ideal Wound Dressings
Ideal Wound Dressings
No single dressing is suitable for all types of wounds. Often a number of different types of dressings will be used during the healing process of a single wound. Dressings should perform one or more of the following functions:
• Maintain a moist environment at the wound/dressing interface
• Absorb excess exudate without leakage to the surface of the dressing
• Provide thermal insulation and mechanical protection
• Provide bacterial protection
• Allow gaseous exchange
• Leave no foreign particles in wound
• Absorb wound odor
• Be non-adherent to the wound and easily removed without trauma
• Provide some debridement action (remove dead tissue and/ or foreign particles)
• Be non-toxic, non-allergenic and non-sensitizing (to both patient and medical staff)
• Be sterile