Wound Dressing Selection and Management

General Principles

The American Heart Association recommends thoroughly cleaning and irrigating wounds until there is no obvious debris or foreign matter before applying any dressing, using running tap water or sterile saline solutions for wound irrigation instead of antiseptic agents like povidone-iodine 3, 4
Covering clean superficial wounds with occlusive dressings is recommended to promote wound healing, and monitoring for signs of infection is crucial, with dressing removal and wound inspection if signs of infection develop 3, 4

For superficial wounds and abrasions, hydrogel dressings are recommended for dry or minimally exuding wounds, according to the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism 5
For diabetic foot ulcers, the International Diabetes Federation recommends selecting dressings principally on the basis of exudate control, comfort, and cost, and considering sucrose-octasulfate–impregnated dressing as an adjunctive treatment for non-infected, neuro-ischaemic diabetic foot ulcers that are difficult to heal 1, 6

For burns, the European Burn Association recommends cooling the burn in the absence of shock, applying simple sterile gauze, interface dressings, or non-adhesive dressings in the pre-hospital phase, and avoiding external cooling devices for prolonged periods to prevent hypothermia 7
For PEG tube sites, the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism recommends using glycerin hydrogel or glycogel dressing during the first week(s) after insertion, and reducing dressings to once or twice a week after stoma healing 5

The American College of Cardiology recommends avoiding occlusive dressings if there are signs of infection as they may promote bacterial growth, and not using antimicrobial dressings routinely as they have not shown benefit for improving wound healing or preventing secondary infection 1, 2, 6
The American Heart Association advises against using povidone-iodine for wound irrigation as it has not demonstrated benefit over saline or tap water, and avoiding applying bandages too tightly, especially on limbs, to prevent tourniquet effect 3, 4, 7