20 – Bandaging Flashcards
What are the indications for bandages?
- Support suture lines
- Early wound management
- Management of granulation tissue
- Owner convenience
What is the function of a bandage?
- Pressure
- Support
- Promote wound environment
- Aesthetics
Pressure bandages
- Obliterate dead space
- Reduce limb edema
- Control hemorrhage
- *control granulation tissue
o Cause in increase=due to change in oxygen (lack of oxygen=more granulation tissue)
Support bandages
- Mechanical
- Circulatory
- Immobilization
Bandage weaning
- Some wounds get dependent on the bandage and you need to wean them off
- Variable timing
- *otherwise will get swelling!
What is important to consider with the wound environment?
- pH and temperature effects
o differences in summer (hot=yeast infections) vs. winter - Topical medications
Aesthetics of bandaging
- Functional
- Eye catching
- *important to be able to do it well and can have a big impact on your clients
What are the characteristics of an ideal bandage material?
- Inexpensive
- Conformable
- Capable of desired function
- Free of particulate matter
- Inert
- Gas permeable
- Easily sterilized
- Aesthetically pleasing
What are the three layers of bandaging? (construction and physiology)
- Primary (contact) layer
a. Dressing - Secondary (intermediate) layer
a. Padding
b. Absorption - Tertiary (outer) layer
a. Occlusive
Primary layer
- Sterile
- Maintain wound contact
o Held in place with Kling gauze
o If no wound=likely don’t need to do a primary layer - Conduct exudate
o Capillary - Adherent or non-adherent
Adherent primary layer types
- Dry-to-dry
- Wet-to-dry
- Wet-to-wet
Dry-to-dry dressings
- Debridement
- Remove exudate
- Remove dead tissue
- Remove superficial granulation tissue
Wet-to-dry dressings
- *put gauze with saline onto the wound (intent that the gauze will dry out (so goes from wet to dry))
o *Hypertonic saline (osmotic and apply moisture to gauze) - Debridement
- Reduces exudate viscosity
- Enhanced capillary action
Wet-to-wet dressings
- Minimal debridement
- Enhanced capillary action
- Minimal adherence
- High fluid producing wounds
Nonadherent primary layer types
- Occlusive
- Non-occlusive
Nonadherent dressings: characteristics
- Gentle on tissue
- Occlusive
- Semi-occlusive
- Non-occlusive
What is an example of a non-adherent dressing?
- Telfa
- +/- gauze 4x4 squares
Secondary layer
- Absorption: capillary action
- Pressure distribution
- Support
What are some examples of secondary layers?
- Quilt
- Sheet cotton
- Gamgee
Quilt
- Machine washable
- Can be reused
- Hard to get as good of compression
Sheet cotton
- Rolled up cotton that can be pulled apart
Gamagee
- Layers of cotton like material
- Not as put together as a quilt but holds it’s integrity
Tertiary layer
- Pressure application
- Pressure factor
o Only last <30mins without elastics
o 50% stretch for elastics - Protection from elements
What are some examples of tertiary layers?
- Brown gauze: first and then 1 of the 3 below
o Will tear nicely=can’t put it on too tight - Vet wrap
- Lightplast: between a vet wrap and Elastoplast
- Elastoplast/elastikon
Tie-over bandage (stent bandage)
- Use in difficult to bandage areas
Vacuum bandage
- Adhesive steridrape
- Suction apparatus
- *second intention healing
Ventilated thermoplastic mesh bandages
- Can still have a bandage in place to support other tissues, but have access to the wound itself
Quilt and polo wrap example
- Proactively put them on to prevent edema
Light bandage/pressure bandage example
- Ex. heel bulb laceration
o Didn’t need a big compressive bandage, just wanting to protect it
Pressure bandage example
- Foal with contracted tendons to try and get the regions to relax
External coaptation
- More so in small animal
- Don’t really us stir-ups in large animal
