WHAT ARE SECONDARY WOUND DRESSINGS?

WHAT ARE SECONDARY WOUND DRESSINGS?

PART 1

 Tapeless wound dressing holders are secondary wound dressings.  What does this mean and what makes Tapeless superior to traditional secondary wound dressings?

Wound dressings are of two types; primary and secondary. Primary wound dressings are applied directly to a wound and may contain some medication.  Secondary wound dressings secure the primary wound dressing in place.  They are not secondary in importance, for if the primary wound dressing cannot be kept or applied where intended, then no matter what is placed on the wound might not work. 

Secondary wound dressings provide several important functions other than just securing the primary:

1.         Hold the primary dressing in the intended location.     This is mentioned above, but is worth repeating again: if the primary wound dressing moves or looses contact with the underlying wound, then the benefits may be lost.

2.         Supports the wound site.   If an implant, catheter, drain or graft has been inserted, movement must be avoided.   A secondary wound dressing may be required to protect and support the wound and device.  A cast or heavy wrap is an example of this type of wound dressing.

3.         Protects the wound site.   In this case, the wound dressing keeps the wound from further trauma, either from mechanical sources such as friction, motion or environmental factors like moisture or temperature. 

4.         Provides an environment for optimal healing.  This is a situation where the wound requires a closed environment for the primary dressing to function.

5.         Camouflages the wound.   An unsightly wound is not socially acceptable.

6.         Provides treatment to the wound.   This situation is a working synergistic relationship between the primary and secondary dressings, either of which alone will not work; a wet-to-dry wound debridement, in which the primary dressing needs to allow the underlying primary dressing to dry so that on removal of the primary, debridement occurs.

In Part 2, Tapeless will build its case for being a superior secondary wound dressing.

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