Dressing and Bandages

Dressing

The Dressings are used for the wounds and injuries, which are of the open type. They are used in order to prevent blood loss, diminish the wound contamination and infection and as an aid in wound healing.

The dressing used should be sterile, clean, soft and non-sticking to the wound.

The dressings can be adhesive or non-adhesive type. The commercial dressings are of the adhesive types. They also contain an antiseptic cream on the dressing (medicated dressing). The non-adhesive one can be made of gauze and cotton with or without a bandage attached to it.

While applying the dressings, the part should be cleaned and made sterile as far as possible. Bleeding should be decreased. Foreign bodies should be removed. The gauze should be placed directly on the wound and not moved from one side to the other. It should be large enough to cover the wound. To keep it in place, a bandage could be used and tied firmly over the dressing.

The bandage should not be tight. If it is so, the patient will be uncomfortable. There will be numbness and tingling of the fingers. The pulse distal to the application of the bandage will not be felt or will be weak. The part may be pale or blue and appear swollen. When the distal part is pressed and released, the whiteness, which appears on pressure, does not become pink within 3-4 seconds. This is a bad sign and implies that the bandage should be loosened.

Bandages

The bandages could be of the triangular or roller type. The triangular bandage is a cloth of 100 cms, square in shape. This is cut diagonally and the two parts are two triangular bandages. They can be used as such or as a broad or narrow bandage.

The roller bandage can be sued for the control of bleeding, dressings of wounds and support of limbs. The roller bandage has a head and a tail. The size varies from 1 inch to 5-6 inches. It is made of cloth, linen or gauze. The length is usually 5 meters.

While applying, the bandage should be started from the distal end and moved towards the proximal end. The application can be spiral, reverse spiral, in figure of '8' form or applied as a spica. The end should be secured. It should be applied neither too loosely nor too tight. Always check the blood supply to the distal end.

Slings are applied when there is an injury to the upper limb or chest. They are for the support. The sling could be an arm sling or an elevation sling. The latter is used when there is bleeding from the upper limb and has to be elevated. This can be done as a collar and cuff sling or as a triangular sling.