subject: Wound Care with Duoderm Dressing [print this page] Wound Care with Duoderm Dressing Wound Care with Duoderm Dressing
Minor cuts, bruises and abrasions are a part of growing up and almost every child experiences them. In most cases, these injuries do not require more than a band-aid but there may be some instances when extra measures may have to be taken. Parents can benefit from learning about basic wound management.
The two most important aspects of wound management are thoroughly cleaning it and properly dressing it.
Wound Cleaning
If the wound is bleeding, try to stop it by covering with a clean towel or something similar and applying pressure on the wound. After the bleeding stops, thoroughly clean it. The best method of cleaning a wound is by using clean running water and soap. Depending on the condition of the wound you may need to rinse with pressure like with a jet. Saline solution can also be used instead of water but since water is readily available, it is most convenient to use. Make sure to not scrub the wound while cleaning it. Occasionally bleeding recurs after cleaning the wound but it is normally minor.
Wound Dressing
After properly cleaning the wound, it is time to apply the dressing. Dressing a wound is important because it prevents contamination and infection and helps the wound to heal. You may want to put some antibacterial ointment on the wound first and then cover it with a dressing. Deeper wounds may require the use of butterfly clip to bring the ends of the wound together before putting on the bandage.
From plain gauze and medical tape to advanced types of dressings, there are many choices for wound dressing. Duoderm is one of the most advanced and effective dressings, which uses hydrocolloid technology. Duoderm provides a moist healing environment which promotes quick healing. It comes in many shapes including round, oval, square and triangular, which helps with dressing even oddly shaped wounds.
Frequent changes of dressing are a major inconvenience associated with wound care and management. When using conventional dressings, depending on the condition of the wound, dressing may be required to be changed as quickly as every 12 hours or so. Duoderm solves this problem because it offers an extended wear-time of up to seven days. Keeping the wound moist and clean for an extended period of time significantly helps the healing process. Another feature that makes duoderm user-friendly is that removing it is not painful as compared to traditional dressings. Since it does not stick directly to the wound, it can be removed without much discomfort to the patient.
If the wound does not seem to be healing properly after a few days of dressing and has little or no epithelialization or shows signs of infection, immediately see a doctor.
