Dressing is the process of cleaning and covering wounds to ensure that they heal faster and leave less scarring. Under normal conditions, our body, which is completely covered with skin, is protected against external microorganisms and external influences.
protected. Injury and loss of skin leaves the tissues under the skin unprotected and inflamed by the microbes they come into contact with. Inflammation allows the causative microorganisms to cause disease and spread throughout the body.
can cause life-threatening diseases. During wound care, the microorganisms in the wound should be cleaned and the wound should be covered to prevent re-contact with the external environment and infection.
How to Clean a Wound for Dressing
Wounds that have been in contact with contaminated environments that contain tissue loss and that have been contaminated with foreign substances must be treated in a health institution. These wounds should be thoroughly washed, the wound contents should be cleaned, dead tissues should be debrided and necessary medical treatment should be given. Dressing can then be continued at home according to the advice of healthcare professionals.
Antiseptics are applied around the wound and the wound is cleaned with clean water and saline. Antiseptics can be used in the wound for the first cleaning in dirty wounds and wounds that will not be stitched, but not in the wound in subsequent dressings (Antiseptics prevent healing by damaging the living tissues that allow the wound to heal).
Superficial erosion wounds in the form of abrasions and bruises where the skin layers are not completely disrupted can be cleaned with antiseptic and dressed at home.
Applying the Dressing
The materials to be used in dressing are prepared in advance and placed on a clean table. Having the patient lying down and telling him/her what is being done while cleaning the wound makes the work easier. The hands of the person performing the application must be clean and wear plastic gloves..
Dressing of Stitched Wounds
The easiest wounds to treat.
Old tape is removed with slow movements,
Sterile gauze is opened, 4 corners are folded without touching the middle, batikon is poured into the middle part that is not touched, the stitches and the surrounding area are thoroughly wiped. (The part of the gauze that touches our hand or elsewhere is considered dirty and that part should definitely not touch the wound.)
After the wound is wiped with batikon, a sterile gauze slightly larger than the wound is placed on its surface and covered with adhesive tape. For this procedure, there are pre-packaged sterile adhesive tapes with gauze of different sizes in the middle and these are easier to use.
Dressing of Open Wounds
Wounds that cannot be sutured closed due to skin or tissue loss are cleaned slightly differently.
After removing the old dressing on the wound, batikon is applied to sterile gauze. Wipe around the wound covered with skin. The inside of the open wound is never cleaned with antiseptic.
The wound is washed with saline drawn into a syringe and sprayed under pressure or wiped very gently with sterile gauze soaked in saline. This is not necessary for clean wounds.
If the dry gauze cloths to be covered stick to the wound, the next application will be very difficult. To prevent this, gauze previously impregnated with a ready-made wound healing cream that prevents adhesion to the wound is applied to the open wound. On top of this, a ready-made adhesive tape containing gauze is applied..
There are many different ready-made materials that make dressing easier. In order to do a good job, you should familiarize yourself with these materials and learn which one to use in which situation. You can ask for help from the health professionals who plan the treatment of the wound..
