Wound care is one of the most supply-intensive clinical services in any healthcare facility. A medium-complexity wound care program may use 40+ distinct wound care products, and inappropriate dressing selection — using a wet dressing on a dry wound, or a non-absorptive dressing on a heavily exuding wound — significantly extends healing time, increases infection risk, and drives up supply costs. Our wound care catalog includes over 35,000 products from Mölnlycke, Smith+Nephew, ConvaTec, Coloplast, and Hollister. This guide provides a clinical framework for matching dressing type to wound characteristics.
The Wound Assessment Framework
Dressing selection begins with systematic wound assessment: wound type (acute surgical, chronic pressure injury, diabetic foot ulcer, venous leg ulcer), exudate level (none/minimal/moderate/heavy), tissue type in wound bed (granulation, slough, necrotic), presence of infection or biofilm, wound depth and undermining, and periwound skin condition. Each variable influences appropriate dressing category selection.
Primary Dressing Categories
Hydrocolloid dressings (e.g., ConvaTec DuoDERM, Coloplast Comfeel) create a moist wound environment by absorbing wound fluid and forming a gel. Indications: low-to-moderate exudate, partial-thickness wounds, pressure injuries stage II, donor sites. Contraindications: infected wounds, heavily exuding wounds, sinus tracts. Typical wear time: 3–7 days.
Foam dressings (e.g., Mölnlycke Mepilex, Smith+Nephew Allevyn) are highly absorptive polyurethane products available with or without silicone adhesive borders. Indications: moderate-to-heavy exudate, pressure injuries stage III–IV, leg ulcers, around drains. Silicone-bordered foam dressings reduce trauma during removal — critical for fragile periwound skin. Available in our wound care section.
Alginate dressings (derived from brown seaweed calcium/sodium alginate) have exceptional absorbency — up to 20× their weight in fluid. Indications: heavily exuding wounds, cavity wounds, wound tunneling. When saturated with wound exudate, alginates form a cohesive gel maintaining moist environment without maceration.
Antimicrobial/silver dressings release ionic silver continuously, providing broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against MRSA, VRE, and biofilm-forming organisms. Indications: critically colonized or locally infected wounds, wounds with biofilm, high-risk wounds in immunocompromised patients. Silver dressings should not be used for more than 2 weeks without reassessment — resistance development in wound biofilms, while uncommon, has been reported.
Transparent film dressings (e.g., 3M Tegaderm) are thin semipermeable membranes for minimal exudate wounds, IV site protection, superficial abrasions, and as secondary dressings over primary products. Browse our complete wound dressing selection.
Advanced Therapies: NPWT and Biologics
Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) applies subatmospheric pressure to the wound bed via foam or gauze interface and sealed film dressing, promoting granulation tissue formation, reducing edema, and managing exudate. NPWT devices from Smith+Nephew (PICO for single-use), KCI (V.A.C. for traditional), and Mölnlycke (Avance) are available for acute, chronic, and post-surgical wound applications. Biologics — including platelet-rich plasma (PRP), collagen matrix products, and amnion/chorion allografts — are appropriate for recalcitrant chronic wounds that have failed 4+ weeks of standard dressing therapy.
Cost Optimization Without Compromising Outcomes
Wound care formulary standardization can reduce per-wound supply costs by 20–35% without compromising clinical outcomes. Key strategies include: standardizing primary and secondary dressing combinations by wound type, bulk purchasing of high-frequency items (gauze, foam dressings, transparent films), establishing dressing protocols that reduce unnecessary product layering, and implementing wound photography for objective healing assessment. Contact us for volume pricing on wound care supplies for your facility.
