Selection of dressing materials in chronic wound management

ABSTRACT

Chronic wounds are generally defined as non-healing wounds after four weeks of normal treatment. Individual risk factors for chronic wounds should be identified, but the delay of wound healing is often caused by the use of inappropriate dressing material. The concept of rapid wound healing with moist dressings has developed since the 1960s, and wet dressing is currently a widely popular method of wound treatment. Hundreds of dressing materials that maintain a moist environment are commercially available; however, selecting the right dressing material for a specific purpose is not easy, and unfortunately incorrect dressing procedures occur frequently. In order to promote wound healing education, we have classified dressing materials into basic categories and discuss the pros and cons and indications for each category. The purpose of this report is to reduce errors in selecting dressing materials and to enhance precise wound treatment.