Question

what is material is used for wound packing?

Answer 1

Choice of packing material depends on type of wound and the amount of drainage.

* One of the most common and basic used material is STERILE GAUZE. Sterile gauze may be used wet or dry as per the physician's orders. Commonly used material is cotton. Easily available and low priced.

* TRANSPARENT MEMBRANES: polymeric transparent membranes are used that allow oxygen to pass through them while preventing water and germs to invade the wound.

* ALIGNATES: as the name suggests, these have some properties of algae. They turn soft when left on the skin and hence cause less pain while removing or placing on the wound.

* HYDROCOLLOIDS : they are made up of colloidal particles and are Highly exudate absorbent in nature as well as highly sticky.the ingredient is mainly carboxymethyl cellulose sodium. Mainly used for venous ulcers, bed sores, burns etc.

* FOAMS : These are multilayer structure with very high absorption ability and helps in keeping the wound warm and moist. Not suitable for dry wounds. They are best suited for skin transplant wounds, mild to medium burns and pressure ulcers.

* COMPOSITES : these are the combination of different type of dressing materials. It has higher price, lower cost performance and low flexibility of indication.