Caring for wounds using hydrogel sheet dressings

One of the most commonly used methods of dressing a wound in hospitals, healthcare units, and pharmacies is Hydrogel sheet dressing. 

How does it work?

It makes use of a hydrogel (hydrophilic gel) pad to cover the wound. The gel is mostly in liquid form containing around 90% water content, which keeps the wound moist and prevents it from drying. It thus helps in releasing the water from the wound and absorbing exudate without dissolving. It provides adequate moisture to the wounds that ensure quick healing. 

In addition to the quick healing, it provides a cool temptation to the wound. This also helps in reducing the pain of the wound and provides relief for up to 6 hours after application. Hydrogel dressing is also easy to change. There is less discomfort and chances of infections are reduced to a great extent.

What kind of wounds can be treated with hydrogel sheet dressing?

Hydrogel dressing can be used in various types of wounds like:

• Minor burns
• Full Thickness wounds
• Partial-thickness wounds
• Dry and necrotic wounds
• Radiation damage
• Wounds with granulated tissue development
• Severe scrapes

What are the different types of Hydrogel dressing?

There are mainly three types of hydrogel dressing. The details of the same are mentioned as under:

• Sheet Hydrogels

Sheet dressings are done with polymer sheets. The sheet can be cut to fit the size of the wound with the help of a scissor. The gel is put on the thin fiber mesh, placed on the wound. The sheet is then overlapped between the wound and the skin without causing any harm. 

Sheets do not cause any harm to the skin. Hence, it is best for sensitive people with sensitive skin.

• Impregnated Hydrogels

Impregnated hydrogels use a separate gel compound saturated on a gauze pad or strips. These are ideal for deeper wounds. However, these hydrogel dressings require a secondary dressing to hold everything in place. The secondary dressing thus ensures complete protection of the wound.

• Amorphous Hydrogels

Amorphous hydrogels are flexible and free-flowing dressings that are perfect for deeper parts of the wounds. They can be easily flow to the nooks of the wound and faster healing. 

This too needs to be covered by a secondary dressing to stay put. 

They are generally distributed in tubes or spray bottles.

Check out hydrogel sheet dressing products from Med on the Go’s website.

What are the advantages of using hydrogel dressing?

The benefits of hydrogel sheet dressing:

• Very soothing for the wound.

• Reduces pain for severe wounds and irritation in the surrounding area.

• Helps in rehydrating the wound bed.

• Facilitates autolytic debridement.

• The amorphous and impregnated hydrogel dressings help in filling the dead space.

• They are ideal for wounds where chances of infections are high because they reduce risks by preventing the entry of bacteria and oxygen to the wound.

• As they are non-adhesive to the wounds, they can easily be removed.

Now, are there any disadvantages of using hydrogel dressing?

Yeah, they have some disadvantages, mentioned below:

• Hydrogel dressings are not ideal for wounds resulting in heavy exudate as they cannot absorb a large amount of fluids. That is why they are also not ideal for wet wounds. The chances of infection in these cases are high.

• Another disadvantage is that impregnated hydrogels and amorphous hydrogels require a secondary dressing to stay put.

• If they are not properly covered, they can dehydrate easily.

How to apply hydrogel dressing?

• The very first step would be to wash your hands thoroughly.

• Wash the wound with a cleanser or normal saline.
• Pat the surrounding tissue with clean gauze.
• Remove the dressing from the packaging. 
• Cut the dressing to the size of the wound. Use sterilized scissors to do so.
• Slowly peel off the backing of the dressing.
• Put the dressing on the wound.
• Use a fixing tape or another bandage to wrap the dressing.
• Dispose of the waste properly in a separate container or dustbin

Specific guidelines to apply each type of dressing:

Amorphous hydrogel dressing

• Use a tongue blade or cotton-tipped applicator to apply this dressing.
• Spread it evenly over the wound bed. Maintain a thickness of around 5 mm. 
• You can also use a sterile gauze pad to apply the gel into the wound. Ensure that there is no overlapping onto the surrounding skin.
  Cover it with a secondary wound dressing and cover the entire wound bed with it.

Gauze impregnated with hydrogel

• Put the dressing directly on top of the wound. Alternatively, you can also loosely place it into the wound bed.
• Cover the dressing with a secondary dressing and cover the entire wound bed with it.

Sheet hydrogel

• Carefully mark the outline of the wound on the dressing, as the sheet needs to be cut according to its shape. 
• Cut the hydrogel sheet accordingly with sterilized scissors. 
• Apply the sheet to the wound bed. Do not overlap onto the surrounding skin.
• Cover the sheet with a secondary dressing and cover the entire wound bed with it.

How to remove hydrogel sheet dressing?

1. Wash your hands thoroughly and put on gloves.
   2. First, start with removing the secondary wound dressing. Do it gently.
   3. Then, remove the hydrogel dressing.
   4. In the case of Amorphous hydrogel dressing, Rinse away the remaining gel from the wound. You can use normal saline or wound cleaner for the same. Do it very gently to make sure you do not hurt the wound. 
2. In the case of impregnated hydrogel or hydrogel sheet, lift one edge of the dressing and peel it back. 
3. If the dressing adheres to the wound surface, you can saturate the dressing with a wound cleanser to remove it easily.
4. Discard the used dressing appropriately.

You can contact us if you need any supply of hydrogel sheet dressings. You can check out our products here. You can also get in touch with us if you have any queries regarding the same.