How to apply a dressing to a wound and what types of dressings are most popular

Every person has encountered dressing wounds at least once in their life. A high-quality dressing is the key to rapid tissue healing, so it should not be taken lightly. In this article from the “Instructions” section from the surgeon E.V. Elistratov. You will learn how to properly do dressings at home, and in which cases it is better to consult a doctor.

Is it possible to bandage a wound yourself?

Bandaging and dressing wounds is a whole science with theory and practice, which is taught to medical personnel. It is difficult to learn this at home, so it is better to invite a specialist. Experienced nurses provide such a service as dressing at home - the price will not be too high, and complications associated with wound healing will be avoided.

This is especially true for head injuries - they are bandaged in special ways (“bonnet”, “Hippocratic cap”, “bridle”), which require special skills. Bandages that fix broken bones or displaced joints are also applied only by doctors - mistakes can lead to improper fusion and other troubles.

You can apply a bandage yourself in several cases. The first is small, uncomplicated, clean wounds that do not bleed too much. The second case is first aid dressing. It is done before going to the doctor in order to protect damaged tissues from contamination and stop bleeding.

In addition, re-dressing wounds is often practiced at home - if the doctor has previously examined them and allowed them to do without medical intervention. But even in such a situation, healing should be carefully monitored, and if any alarming symptoms occur, immediately contact a specialist.

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Patients who have undergone surgery, as a rule, really do not like procedures such as dressings, and this is understandable, because this process is associated with painful sensations. No matter what the operation is, fibroid removal or cosmetic procedure, dressing a wound is inevitable. How to carry out this process correctly and least painfully?

Bandaging means examining the wound by a doctor, treating it with medications, probing fistulas, and applying the bandage itself.

Usually the dressing is applied immediately after the operation, then it is called primary. Typically, a sign that it needs to be replaced is when the material gets wet. In some cases, if the patient’s temperature does not rise and the bandage does not get wet, the entire procedure may be postponed for about three days.

To change the dressing, use tools such as tweezers, scissors, wound treatment, as well as an antiseptic, gauze pads, bandage or adhesive plaster. To avoid painful sensations, the sticker is removed with extreme caution, especially if there is vegetation on the skin. In this case, the bandage is moistened with alcohol or ether. The bandage is carefully unwound or cut using Richter scissors.

Separate the dried material using tweezers. In this case, the doctor must be careful not to separate the rubber releases, which during the operation are inserted into the edges of the wound to prevent infection.

The doctor must monitor the condition of the skin around the wound. Even if there is swelling at the seam, the surrounding skin should be clean and unchanged. Palpation of the wound surface is necessary to eliminate the risk of compaction. Ideally, palpation should be painless, which means that healing is proceeding normally.

Wound care includes removing traces of medications and cleaning the wound and surrounding area. It is also important to check for fistulas or fistulas. If they appear, the pus is removed using special instruments.

Then the wound is covered with napkins for dressings, fixed with cleol, another layer of napkins is placed and secured with a bandage.

If the wound has been tamponed, the period of time the material remains inside may vary, from 2 days to a week, depending on the purpose of tamponing. If the temperature rises or suppuration occurs, the tampons should be removed immediately.

If there are no complications, the sutures are removed after about 6 days. The patient may be discharged, and the wound will be treated at home. In this case, the edges of the wound are treated with an antiseptic, and then a sterile bandage is placed on it. If atheroma was removed or a similar simple operation was performed, healing proceeds quickly and long dressings are not required. For major surgical interventions, the time frame during which the dressing needs to be changed may vary, as it depends on the individual characteristics of the patient.

Types of dressings

Depending on the characteristics of the material, dressings can be soft or hard. The second category includes splints, plaster structures and all kinds of devices, and the first has many varieties, and depending on the purpose:

• simple ones protect the wound from infection and keep medicinal substances on the surface;
• contour ones are used for burn injuries;
• pressure is intended to stop bleeding;
• immunobilizing agents provide immobility;
• occlusive close penetrating wounds.

In addition, dressings are classified by material - they can be gauze, bandage or plaster. For weeping and complicated wounds, special devices and fabrics with an absorbent effect, antibacterial impregnation and other properties are used to promote the fastest healing of wounds.

What is needed for dressing

To ensure that the dressing is done correctly and the treatment process is as effective as possible, our clinic uses the most effective and modern medications and disinfectants and innovative dressing materials.

Bandaging a hand requires the following equipment and materials:

• Two kidney-shaped trays. One is designed for discarding used non-sterile dressings, the other is filled with solutions.
• Dressing materials. Sterile gauze balls, napkins or strips are used to apply directly to the surface of the wound. They are used dry or moistened in medicinal or antiseptic preparations. For surface fixation, bandages, patches or cleol bandages are used.
• Antiseptic solutions are needed to treat the hands of staff and the skin of the patient. These can be alcohol preparations for treating the skin and aqueous solutions for washing wounds.
• Medicinal ointments and solutions containing antibacterial and wound-healing components. Recently, the pharmaceutical industry has begun to produce wound-healing drugs in the form of sprays.

In some cases, ultraviolet irradiation is used to treat a wound, eliminate infection and accelerate healing. At the healing stage, in the absence of complications, dressings can be performed on an outpatient basis.

Diagnostic methods in surgery:

• Doppler in surgery
• Colonoscopy
• Angiography
• CT scan
• Gastroscopy
• MRI
• Abdominal ultrasound
• X-ray
• Endoscopy

Prices:

What is high-quality wound dressing

A good wound dressing is not just a structure that covers damaged tissue, does not move, and does not cause additional discomfort. It must meet the following requirements:

• high absorbency necessary to eliminate exudate;
• maintaining a humid environment, optimal temperature and ensuring air exchange;
• antibacterial protection and prevention of dirt, dust, and foreign particles from entering the wound;
• medium pressure - materials should not interfere with normal blood flow, but should not slip at the slightest impact;
• compliance with the rules of asepsis, hypoallergenicity and non-toxicity.

To put it simply, the wound under the bandage should heal well, not get wet, but not dry out either. A well-applied dressing material does not cause discomfort even if it needs to be changed or removed, since it does not stick to the tissue.

Algorithm for dressing a clean wound

Before starting the dressing, the nurse and surgeon clean their hands as before a surgical operation and put on sterile gloves. A sterile dressing table with a set of necessary sterile instruments and dressing material is unfolded.

• Under no circumstances should you touch the surface of the wound with your hands.
• The skin around the wound should be disinfected.
• The affected part must be positioned correctly.
• Dressing material and all solutions and preparations must be sterile.
• Bandaging should be done in the right direction. The width of the bandages should be appropriate to the size of the wound. The limb is bandaged from the narrowest part to the widest. This allows you to secure the dressing material as efficiently as possible.

It is important to ensure that the bandage does not squeeze the arm, but is not too loose. If the bandage is applied to bony protrusions, soft pads are placed under the bandage to avoid compression and poor circulation.

Useful information about visiting a surgeon at the clinic:

• How to prepare for a surgeon's appointment
• What diseases does the surgeon treat?
• Calling a surgeon to your home
• Surgical care in the clinic
• Surgical care at home
• What symptoms should you contact a surgeon for?
• Treatment of surgical diseases
• Treatment of intestinal pathologies
• Treatment of skin surgical pathologies
• Treatment of bedsores and necrosis
• Treatment of parasitic diseases
• Treatment of inflammatory processes of soft tissues
• Treatment of diseases of the musculoskeletal system
• Diagnosis of surgical diseases

How to apply a bandage at home

At home, you can apply a simple bandage to the wound - for this you need to acquire simple materials and properly prepare for the procedure.

Preparation for the procedure

The bandage consists of two parts - sterile material is applied directly to the damaged tissue, and on top it is fixed with any suitable fabric, gauze, bandage, etc. Everything you need can be bought at the pharmacy or made yourself - for example, from bed linen, after boiling it and ironed. The best option is an individual dressing package or special materials.

In addition to bandages or gauze, you will need antiseptics, a sterile wipe or saline solution, as well as scissors, which must be treated with alcohol. It is better to purchase a tool that will be used only for medical purposes and keep it in your home medicine cabinet. If you use self-prepared material, cut it into strips and roll it into rolls.

Applying a bandage

Before applying a bandage, you must wash your hands well and wipe them with an antiseptic. Place the patient in a place with good lighting and try not to cause him pain. If we are talking about bandaging a wound yourself, this can only be done when it is located on the leg - in other places it will be problematic to perform a high-quality dressing.

1. Cover the wound with a sterile cloth or a suitable piece of gauze soaked in saline solution. The amount of liquid should be sufficient, but not dripping from the fabric.
2. Hold the bandage in your right hand with the roll up and begin to roll it out without lifting it from the surface of the body. Apply the turns so that the next one overlaps the previous one by about half.
3. Wounds should be bandaged from the periphery - that is, if you need to bandage an arm or leg, start from the fingers and move upward.
4. Control the pressure of the material - it should be wound tightly enough, but not impede blood circulation.

After applying the bandage, secure it to the body. To do this, leave a piece of material at least 20 cm long, cut it lengthwise and tie the ends. You can use adhesive tape, fixing devices, pins, and in extreme cases, electrical tape or tape. The key rule to follow when dressing is accuracy. Try not to cause discomfort to the patient and not to re-injure damaged tissues.

The bandage is not applied correctly, if it slips or interferes with normal blood circulation - the skin next to the dressing material is swollen, pale or blue. In this case, it should be loosened or replaced.

Re-dressing

Wound dressings need to be changed from time to time, usually after the dressing becomes dirty or loose. Purulent wounds are bandaged daily, and bandages are usually impregnated with special compounds that speed up healing.

The most difficult thing is usually to remove the bandage or gauze, especially if it dries to the surface of the wound. To do this, follow these steps:

• unwind and remove the outer bandage (if it needs to be cut, this is done away from the damaged area or on the reverse side);
• remove the material covering the wound - dried bandages or napkins should be soaked with hydrogen peroxide or a weak solution of furatsilin;
• make sure that there are no remnants of dressing material or signs of suppuration in the wound.

Perform manipulations carefully, holding the skin near the wound so as not to re-injure it and cause pain to the patient. If the wound begins to bleed, take a sterile cloth or piece of bandage, apply pressure and hold for at least 5 minutes. After this, wipe the skin around with an antiseptic and apply a fresh bandage.

When should you see a doctor?

The correct answer is in any case, if the size of the wound exceeds 2 cm. Deep, long cuts must be sutured, otherwise they will not heal, and open fractures require special dressing methods. In addition, the damaged tissue could become infected, which could cause serious problems in the future. The following signs indicate complications:

• severe bleeding under the bandage (the material gets wet quickly and has to be changed every 2-3 hours);
• intense pain that does not subside within 2-3 days;
• swelling, inflammation and the appearance of pus at the site of injury;
• increase in temperature, deterioration in general health.

It is impossible to treat complicated and festering wounds on your own - they threaten sepsis and other complications. Prolonged healing also indicates disorders in the body - in order to identify them, the patient needs to undergo an examination.

Injuries that seem minor at first glance can lead to serious complications, so it is best to have them seen by a specialist. Doctor-Mos.ru medical workers will help you with bandaging any wounds and will do everything to ensure that healing goes quickly and without problems. All patients, regardless of place of residence, are guaranteed high-quality and painless dressing at home - Moscow, along with the most distant areas, is in our service area.

Surgeon E.V. Elistratov