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Wound Management

Silicone dressings

Authors: Christian Kaare Paaskesen, Med. Stud., Hasan Gökcer Tekin, MD

Wound bed assessment

  • Wet wounds (on wound edges)
  • Granulating
  • Re-epithelializing

Moisture assessment

  • Dry and wet wounds

Contra-indications

  • Bleeding wounds
  • Silicone allergy

Advantages

Silicone dressings are particularly suitable for patient with fragile skin such as young children and elderly people. Adhesion is minimal, which prevents trauma to fragile peri-wound skin and wound bed. Silicone dressings are not intrinsically absorbent and allow exudate to pass through the dressing, making it ideal as a primary dressing in combination with a secondary dressing that has absorbent properties, to prevent secondary dressings from adhering to the wound bed. Silicone dressings are also thought to prevent development of keloids and hypertrophic scarring after surgery.

Disadvantages

If the dressing is allowed to dry out, it might adhere to the wound and peri-wound skin, causing damage when the dressing is removed.

Products

  • Molnlycke Mepilex Transfer Dressing
  • Systagenix ADAPTIC TOUCH Non Adhering Silicone Dressing
  • Cardinal Health Silicone Contact Layer Dressing

Product example:

Molnlycke Mepilex Transfer Dressing with Safetac technology


Handbook

Handbook