Wound Care Dressings Flashcards
How can you heal a wound
Provide good local wound care (dressings, debridement, and infection control) • Increase mobility • Increase nutrition • Address the cause of the wound
what is a primary wound care dressing
dressing is placed directly in
contact with the wound bed.
what is a secondary wound care dressing
dressing is placed over the
primary dressing provide more absorption
and/or to hold it in place.
Why is it important to provide a moist wound environment
a moist wound environment encourages autolytic
debridement, and reepithelialization. If a wound
is too dry, cells die and epithelialization is
significantly slowed. If a wound is too wet, then
the surrounding skin will macerate and can
promote infection
How can you protect the wound from the outside environment
A good dressing
will also protect from friction, shearing forces, and contamination from microorganisms, urine and stool.
Goals of wound care dressings
Provide a moist wound environment: Protect from the outside environment Be easily applied and removed Will be semipermeable and maintain gas exchange Will be free from either particulate or toxic contamination Will be thermally insulating Cost effective May be used in combination with compression therapy Simple treatment
What is the most absorbent type of wound dressing
Foam/ABD pads/superabsorbents
what is the least absorbent type of wound dressing
transparent film
Why is silver now added to almost every wound care product
Silver ions are selectively toxic to bacteria
What is transparent film good for
Good secondary dressings, which hold the
primary dressing in place, repel urine and stool, and reduce friction.
this is not a good primary dressing
it is bad for heavily draining wounds
what is non-adhering gauze used for
primary dressing when the goal is to not disrupt the wound bed
What is gauze good for
Good for cleaning wounds, and is frequently used with tap water or saline solution for this
Why is gauze not a good primary dressing
Causes loss of heat,
permeable to bacteria, urine and stool, can leave gauze fibers in the
wound. Frequent dressing changes needed.
What can rolled gauze be used for
Acceptable for packing wounds, and also used to wrap dressings in place as a secondary or tertiary dressing.
what is vaseline gauze good for
skin tears, skin grafts, or painful wounds
what is vaseline gauze bad for
cannot be used by itself on any wound that is
moderately or heavily exudating
what are hydrogels used for
dry wounds (to add moisture), necrotic wounds (to promote autolytic debridement), and wounds with difficult to see areas of
undermining and tunneling (“amorphous’)
not suitable for moderately or heavy exudating wounds
what are hydrocolloids used for
dry wounds (to add moisture), necrotic wounds (to promote autolytic debridement), and wounds with difficult to see areas of
undermining and tunneling (“amorphous’)
not suitable for moderately or heavy exudating wounds
What are alginates made from
derived from seaweed these dresseings are good as primary dressings and with moderately to heavy exudating wounds
bad for dry wounds
what are foam/ABD pads used for
used as primary dressings and for moderately to heavily exudating wounds
What is negative pressure wound therapy
both a dressing and a wound healing modality in one that is good for wounds with signifcant drainage and depth
contraindications for negative pressure wound therapy
Contraindicated over malignancy, and
untreated osteomyelitis, necrotic wounds, sensitivity to silver
what are composites
Any combination of two or more dressings in one product. • Usually has an adhesive layer, and absorptive layer, and a physical outer barrier to bacteria / urine / stool
what are composites useful for
good for Wounds that require two or more steps to perform a dressing that can be greatly simplified in one dressing.
what is enzymatic debridement used for
wounds that require debridement due to the presence of necrotic tissue (slough or eschar)
what are CYTOTOXIC CLEANSING AGENTS, ANTIBACTERIAL/
ANTIMICROBIAL OINTMENTS AND SOLUTIONS used for
Wounds that require topical management of bacteria and other microorganisms, especially drug-resistant infections.
what is the purpose of multi-layer compression bandages
achieve graduated compression. •used to manage venous hypertension, lymphedema, and venous insufficiency wounds •improves venous return to the heart •may need ABI beforehand
in what direction do you want compression to increase
compression should increase distally down the leg
MULTI-LAYER
COMPRESSION BANDAGES are good for:
Venous insufficiency wounds. Short-term management of
lymphedema
who uses recombinant growth factor
patients with diabetic foot ulcers that have stalled progress because it stimulates cell growth and migration
what is collagen used for
wounds that have stalled progress (chronic wounds), and where subclinical
signs of infection are present and excess MMP’s are suspected
what are cellular/tissue-based products used for
chronic wounds, especially where skin grafting is not
possible due to the age of the patient
