Wound Care Dressings

Question 1

How can you heal a wound

Answer 1

Provide good local wound care (dressings,
debridement, and infection control)
• Increase mobility
• Increase nutrition
• Address the cause of the wound

Question 2

what is a primary wound care dressing

Answer 2

dressing is placed directly in

contact with the wound bed.

Question 3

what is a secondary wound care dressing

Answer 3

dressing is placed over the
primary dressing provide more absorption
and/or to hold it in place.

Question 4

Why is it important to provide a moist wound environment

Answer 4

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

Question 5

How can you protect the wound from the outside environment

Answer 5

A good dressing

will also protect from friction, shearing forces, and contamination from microorganisms, urine and stool.

Question 6

Goals of wound care dressings

Answer 6

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

Question 7

What is the most absorbent type of wound dressing

Answer 7

Foam/ABD pads/superabsorbents

Question 8

what is the least absorbent type of wound dressing

Answer 8

transparent film

Question 9

Why is silver now added to almost every wound care product

Answer 9

Silver ions are selectively toxic to bacteria

Question 10

What is transparent film good for

Answer 10

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

Question 11

what is non-adhering gauze used for

Answer 11

primary dressing when the goal is to not disrupt the wound bed

Question 12

What is gauze good for

Answer 12

Good for cleaning wounds, and is frequently used with tap water or saline solution for this

Question 13

Why is gauze not a good primary dressing

Answer 13

Causes loss of heat,
permeable to bacteria, urine and stool, can leave gauze fibers in the
wound. Frequent dressing changes needed.

Question 14

What can rolled gauze be used for

Answer 14

Acceptable for packing wounds, and also used to wrap dressings in place as a secondary or tertiary dressing.

Question 15

what is vaseline gauze good for

Answer 15

skin tears, skin grafts, or painful wounds

Question 16

what is vaseline gauze bad for

Answer 16

cannot be used by itself on any wound that is

moderately or heavily exudating

Question 17

what are hydrogels used for

Answer 17

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

Question 18

what are hydrocolloids used for

Answer 18

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

Question 19

What are alginates made from

Answer 19

derived from seaweed these dresseings are good as primary dressings and with moderately to heavy exudating wounds
bad for dry wounds

Question 20

what are foam/ABD pads used for

Answer 20

used as primary dressings and for moderately to heavily exudating wounds

Question 21

What is negative pressure wound therapy

Answer 21

both a dressing and a wound healing modality in one that is good for wounds with signifcant drainage and depth

Question 22

contraindications for negative pressure wound therapy

Answer 22

Contraindicated over malignancy, and

untreated osteomyelitis, necrotic wounds, sensitivity to silver

Question 23

what are composites

Answer 23

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

Question 24

what are composites useful for

Answer 24

good for Wounds that require two or more steps to perform a dressing that can be greatly simplified in one dressing.

Question 25

what is enzymatic debridement used for

Answer 25

wounds that  require debridement due to the presence of
necrotic tissue (slough or eschar)

Question 26

what are CYTOTOXIC CLEANSING AGENTS, ANTIBACTERIAL/

ANTIMICROBIAL OINTMENTS AND SOLUTIONS used for

Answer 26

Wounds that require topical management of bacteria and other microorganisms, especially drug-resistant infections.

Question 27

what is the purpose of multi-layer compression bandages

Answer 27

achieve graduated compression.
•used to manage venous
hypertension, lymphedema, and venous insufficiency wounds
•improves venous return to the heart
•may need ABI beforehand

Question 28

in what direction do you want compression to increase

Answer 28

compression should increase distally down the leg

Question 29

MULTI-LAYER

COMPRESSION BANDAGES are good for:

Answer 29

Venous insufficiency wounds. Short-term management of

lymphedema

Question 30

who uses recombinant growth factor

Answer 30

patients with diabetic foot ulcers that have stalled progress because it stimulates cell growth and migration

Question 31

what is collagen used for

Answer 31

wounds that have stalled progress (chronic wounds), and where subclinical
signs of infection are present and excess MMP’s are suspected

Question 32

what are cellular/tissue-based products used for

Answer 32

chronic wounds, especially where skin grafting is not

possible due to the age of the patient