Composite dressing

This section focuses on prominent medical applications where 3D textile strucmre has been applied, that is, bandages and composite dressings for wound management and supportive structures for tissue engineering and body implants. 

A major field of 3D medical textiles is multilayered composite dressings used in wound management. The multilayered structure is used to provide a multifunctional dressing where each layer is designed to contribute a specific quality of need to facilitate wound healing. 

Figure 12.2 Schematic illustration of different material properties that can be combined in a composite dressing.

Composite dressing can reduce these drawbacks significantly by combining three or more layers of materially dissimilar components, with different properties, which are combined into one single structure (Figure 12.2). 

Figure 12.3 Schematic illustration of a three-layer composite dressing.

Figure 12.4 Schematic illustration of a five-layer odour composite dressing.

Table 5.1 Comparison of alginate/CMC composite dressing to pure alginate dressings...

Specialty absorptive and composite dressings are composed of various combinations of foams, gels and absorbent fibers such as cellulose, cotton or rayon. They may be laminates with or without an adhesive border, and may be covered with a moisture permeable, bacterial barrier. Constructions are designed for management of wound fluid level and enhanced ease of use. 

---