What Is the Best Way to Care for a Wound Dressing?
In general, you want to make sure that a wound dressing stays clean, dry, and intact. When caring for a wound, you always want to make sure that your hands, supplies, and surrounding environment are as clean as possible to prevent infection. The specific steps, such as how often to change the dressing, can vary slightly based on the type of wound and the type of wound care supplies used. Your MD Now provider will provide you with detailed instructions for caring for your dressing before you leave.
What Are Alginate Wound Dressing Products?
Alginate wound dressings are typically used for wounds and lacerations that are wet or secreting, and wounds containing a significant amount of dead tissue. Examples of wounds that may require an alginate dressing include surgical lacerations or incisions, chronic diabetic or venous ulcers, full-thickness burns, cavity wounds, and wounds on parts of the body where it is difficult to apply ordinary dressings. Alginate dressings should not be used on wounds that are already dry.
The following is the basic process for using an alginate dressing:
- Clean the wound and the surrounding area with a saline solution.
- Gently pat the area dry.
- Cut the dressing to the correct size and shape of the wound.
- Place the dressing over the wound making sure that the entire wound is covered.
- When using a rope alginate dressing for a cavity wound, make sure that you fill the entire wound, including any tunneling.
- Secure the alginate dressing in place with a secondary dressing.
- Change the dressing when you start to see fluid discharge leaking from the edges of the dressing. This is normally every one to three days.
What Is a Hydrogel Wound Dressing?
Hydrogel dressings are made of 90% water in a gel base and are designed to hold moisture at the wound site to create the proper environment for healing and for pain management. There are three basic types of hydrogel wound care products:
- An amorphous free-flowing gel that comes in spray bottles, foil packages, and tubes
- Gauze pads or nonwoven spongy ropes or strips that are saturated with the gel
- Sheets that are held together by a fiber mesh
Hydrogel dressings can be easily customized to the size of the wound and are typically used in the following situations:
- Excessively dry or necrotic wounds
- Minor burns
- Partial or full-thickness lesions
- Wounds with cavities or depressions
Hydrogel dressings should not be used for wounds that are moist or have heavy drainage. The following are the basic steps for caring for a hydrogel dressing:
- Apply a thin layer of antibiotic ointment onto the wound before applying the hydrogel.
- Place the appropriately sized hydrogel onto the wound bed making sure that the entire wound is covered.
- Cover the hydrogel with breathable cotton gauze to hold the gel in place and prevent it from dehydrating.
- Change the dressing every four days, or less if the wound starts draining.
- When using an amorphous hydrogel dressing, you should clean any excess hydrogel from the wound with saline before applying a new dressing.
- When removing sheet or impregnated gauze hydrogel, you should soak the dressing with saline first. This will make it easier to pull off the hydrogel.
