Goal: Quality dressing application focuses on keeping wounds clean, absorbing drainage, debriding fibrinous exudate from the wound surface, and increasing the speed of healing.

 

Shallow Wounds or Abrasions

Best: dressing tailored to the specific type of wound Abrasions: Apply antibiotic ointment (e.g., Bacitracin or Silvadene) to the skin, place a non-adherent dressing over the area (e.g., Adaptic [KCI, http://www.acelity.com] or Telfa [Medtronic, http://www.medtronic.com]), and cover with an absorbent gauze dressing (e.g., Kerlix [Medtronic]). This should be repeated daily.

Better: Apply any available sterile gauze dressing.

Minimum: Apply any available clean dressing.

 

Deep or Large Open Wounds

Best: Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT)

Better: Wet-to-dry dressing

Minimum: