Synthetic wound dressings

Passive products

Traditional dressings that provide cover over the wound, eg gauze and tulle dressings

Interactive products

Polymeric films and forms which are mostly transparent, permeable to water vapour and oxygen, non-permeable to bacteria, eg hyaluronic acid, hydrogels, foam dressings

Bioactive products

Dressings which deliver substances active in wound healing, eg hydrocolloids, alginates, collagens, chitosan, keratin

Gauze

• Dressings can stick to the wound surface and disrupt the wound bed when removed

• Only use on minor wounds or as secondary dressings

Tulle

• Dressing does not stick to wound surface

• Suitable for flat, shallow wound

• Useful in patient with sensitive skin

• eg Jelonet®, Paranet®

Semipermeable film

• Sterile sheet of polyurethane coated with acrylic adhesive

• Transparent allowing wound checks

• Suitable for shallow wound with low exudate

• eg OpSite®, Tegaderm®

Hydrocolloids

• Composed of carboxymethylcellulose, gelatin, pectin, elastomers and adhesives that turn into a gel when exudate is absorbed. This creates a warm, moist environment that promotes debridement and healing

• Depending on the hydrocolloid dressing chosen can be used in wounds with light to heavy exudate, sloughing or granulating wounds

• Available in many forms (adhesive or non-adhesive pad, paste, powder) but most commonly as self-adhesive pads

• eg DuoDERM®, Tegasorb®

Hydrogels

• Composed mainly of water in a complex network or fibres that keep the polymer gel intact. Water is released to keep the wound moist

• Used for necrotic or sloughy wound beds to rehydrate and remove dead tissue. Do not use for moderate to heavily exudating wounds

• eg Tegagel®, Intrasite®

Alginates

• Composed of calcium alginate (a seaweed component). When in contact with wound, calcium in the dressing is exchanged with sodium from wound fluid and this turns dressing into a gel that maintains a moist wound environment

• Good for exudating wounds and helps in debridement of sloughing wounds

• Do not use on low exudating wounds as this will cause dryness and scabbing

• Dressing should be changed daily

• eg Kaltostat®, Sorbsan®

Polyurethane or silicone foams

• Designed to absorb large amounts of exudates

• Maintain a moist wound environment but are not as useful as alginates or hydrocolloids for debridement

• Do not use on low exudating wounds as this will cause dryness and scabbing

• eg Allevyn®, Lyofoam®

Hydrofibre

• Soft non-woven pad or ribbon dressing made from sodium carboxymethylcellulose fibres

• Interact with wound drainage to form a soft gel

• Absorb exudate and provide a moist environment in a deep wound that needs packing

Collagens

• Dressings come in pads, gels or particles

• Promote the deposit of newly formed collagen in the wound bed

• Absorb exudate and provide a moist environment

Clean, medium-to-high exudate (epithelialising)

• Paraffin gauze

• Knitted viscose primary dressing

Clean, dry, low exudate (epithelialising)

• Absorbent perforated plastic film-faced dressing

• Vapour-permeable adhesive film dressing

Clean, exudating (granulating)

• Hydrocolloids

• Foams

• Alginates

Slough-covered

• Hydrocolloids

• Hydrogels

Dry, necrotic

• Hydrocolloids

• Hydrogels