Examples of Wound Dressings/Products

Fundamental Review 8-5

Examples of Wound Dressings/Products

Type	Purposes	Use
Transparent films, such as: 3M™ Tegaderm™ BIOCLUSIVE™ Plus Transparent Film Dressing DermaView OPSITE™	Allow exchange of oxygen between wound and environment Are self-adhesive Protect against contamination; waterproof Prevent loss of wound fluid Maintain a moist wound environment Facilitate autolytic debridement No absorption of drainage Allow visualization of wound	Wounds that are small; partial thickness May remain in place for 4 to 7 days, resulting in less interference with healing Stage 1 pressure injuries Wounds with minimal drainage Cover dressings for gels, foams, and gauze Secure intravenous catheters, nasal cannulas, chest tube dressing, central venous access devices
Hydrocolloid dressings, such as: Comfeel^® Plus Sacral Dressing DermaFilm Thin DuoDERM^® CGF Dressing Hydrocolloid Dressing 3M™ Restore™ Hydrocolloid Dressing	Are occlusive or semiocclusive, limiting exchange of oxygen between wound and environment Inner layer is self-adherent, gel forming, and composed of colloid particles Outer layer seals and protects the wound from contamination Minimal to moderate absorption of drainage Maintain a moist wound environment Thermal insulation Provide cushioning Facilitate autolytic debridement May remain in place for 3 to 7 days, depending on exudate	Partial- and full-thickness wounds Stage 2 and stage 3 pressure injuries Prevention at high-risk friction areas Wounds with light to moderate drainage Wounds with necrosis or slough First- and second-degree burns Not for use with wounds that are infected
Hydrogels, such as: AquaDerm DermaGauze Elasto-Gel™ Island Hydrogel INTRASITE Gel Hydrogel Wound Dressing	Polymer gels comprised of an 80% to 99% water base Available in many sizes and forms (gels, sheets, gauze, strips) Maintain a moist wound environment Minimal absorption of drainage Facilitate autolytic debridement Thermal insulation Do not adhere to wound Less effective barrier than occlusive dressings Reduce pain Most require a secondary dressing to secure May remain in place for 24 to 72 hours, depending on the gel form	Partial- and full-thickness wounds Stages 2-4 pressure injuries Necrotic wounds First- and second-degree burns Dry wounds Wounds with minimal exudate Infected wounds Radiation tissue damage
Alginates, such as: AQUACEL^® EXTRA Wound Dressing Eclypse^® Super Absorbent Dressing KALTOSTAT^® Wound Dressing Melgisorb^® Plus Alginate Dressing	Contain alginic acid from brown seaweed; covered in calcium-sodium salts Absorb exudate Maintain a moist wound environment Facilitate autolytic debridement Require secondary dressing to secure	Partial- and full-thickness wounds May remain in place for 1 to 3 days Stage 3 and stage 4 pressure injuries Infected and noninfected wounds Wounds with moderate to heavy exudate Tunneling wounds; undermining Moist red and yellow wounds Not for use with wounds with minimal drainage or dry eschar
Foams, such as: 3M™ Tegaderm™ Foam Adhesive Dressing Advazorb^® Heel Hydrophilic Foam Dressings Mepilex^® Absorbent Foam Dressing Optifoam Gentle POLYDERM Plus Barrier Foam Dressing PolyMem^® Dressing	Foam covered by hydrophilic polyurethane or gel Maintain a moist wound environment Do not adhere to wound Insulate wound Highly absorbent May require a secondary dressing to secure	Partial- and full-thickness wounds May remain in place 3 to 5 days (7 days for foams with silver), depending on exudate Stages 2-4 pressure injuries Surgical wounds Absorb light to heavy amounts of drainage Use around tubes and drains Not for use with wounds with dry eschar
Antimicrobials, such as: AQUACEL™ Ag Surgical Wound Dressing Mepilex^® Ag Antimicrobial Foam Dressing Optifoam Ag+ Post-Op PolyMem^® Silver™ Dressing	Antimicrobial or antibacterial action (reduce and/or prevent infection) Do not adhere to wound Can be highly absorbent May require a secondary dressing to secure Antimicrobial action may last 7 days	Partial- and full-thickness wounds Stages 2-4 pressure injuries Burns Primary dressing over skin graft(s) and donor sites Draining, exuding, and nonhealing wounds of any kind (pressure injury, venous/arterial, diabetic, surgical) Acute and chronic wounds
Collagens, such as: DermaCOL PROMOGRAN™ Matrix Wound Dressing Stimulen™	Protein (collagen derived from bovine, porcine, or avian sources) stimulates cellular migration and fosters new tissue development Highly absorbent Maintain a moist wound environment Do not adhere to wound Compatible with topical agents Conform well to the wound surface Require secondary dressing to secure May remain in place 3 to 5 days (7 days for foams with silver), depending on exudate	Partial- or full-thickness wounds Stage 3 pressure injuries Infected and noninfected wounds Primary dressing over skin graft(s) and donor sites Tunneling wounds Moist red and yellow wounds
Contact layers, such as: ADAPTIC TOUCH™ Non-Adhering Silicone Dressing Profore WCL Silflex^® Silicone Contact Layer	Placed in contact with base of wound, protecting base from trauma during dressing change Allow exudate to pass to a secondary dressing Not intended to be changed with every dressing change May be used with topical medication, wound filler, or gauze dressings	Partial- and full-thickness wounds Require secondary dressing to secure Shallow, dehydrated wounds Wounds with eschar Wounds with viscous exudate
Composites, such as: 3M™ Tegaderm™ Absorbant Clear Acrylic Dressing Covaderm Plus Stratasorb	Combine two or more physically distinct products in a single dressing with several functions Allow exchange of oxygen between wound and environment May facilitate autolytic debridement Provide physical bacterial barrier and absorptive layer Semiadherent or nonadherent	Partial- and full-thickness wounds Primary or secondary dressing Stages 1-4 pressure injures Wounds with minimal to heavy exudate Necrotic tissue Mixed (granulation and necrotic tissue) wounds Infected wounds
Cellular and tissue-based products (CPTs) AlloSkin™ Grafix CORE^®	Nonviable or viable human or animal cells, tissue-based from humans and animals	Partial- and full-thickness wounds Venous and diabetic ulcers Burns Chronic wounds

Source: Adapted from Baranoski, S., & Ayello, E. A. (2020). Wound care essentials: Practice principles (5th ed.). Wolters Kluwer; Hess, C. (2019). Product guide to skin & wound care (8th ed.). Wolters Kluwer; Hurd, T., Rossington, A., Trueman, P., & Smith, J. (2017). A retrospective comparison of the performance of two negative pressure wound therapy systems in the management of wounds of mixed etiology. Advances in Wound Care, 6(1), 33-37. https://doi.org/10.1089/wound.2015.0679; and Norman, G., Goh, E. L., Dumville, J. C., Shi, C., Liu, Z., Chiverton, L., Stankiewicz, M., & Reid, A. (2020). Negative pressure wound therapy for surgical wounds healing by primary closure. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 6(6), CD009261. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD009261.pub6

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Fundamental Review 8-5