What should I do if the gauze always sticks to my flesh when changing the dressing?

When changing the dressing, the gauze sticks to the wound, and bleeding occurs when it is pulled lightly. This scene makes countless patients afraid of changing their dressing. Why can't modern medicine completely prevent gauze from sticking to the flesh even today? The answer lies in the composition of wound exudate and the physical properties of the dressing material. Wound exudate contains macromolecules such as protein and fibrinogen, which will stick to the wound after drying. To solve this problem, we need to start with the details of wound care.

How to determine whether the gauze needs to be changed?

Traditionally, it is believed that daily dressing changes can prevent infection, but frequent operations will damage the healing environment. In clinical practice, doctors will use the "3T principle" to evaluate the timing of dressing changes: the amount of exudate (T amount) exceeds 1/3 of the dressing's absorption capacity, the exudate touches the edge of the dressing (T range), and the dressing has an odor or discoloration (T nature). If the gauze is only slightly wet and has no odor, the change interval can be appropriately extended to reduce mechanical stimulation to the wound.

What are the consequences of not doing pretreatment before changing dressings?

Directly tearing off the adhesion gauze may cause secondary damage. The correct way is to first soak the gauze with sterile saline and wait for 5-10 minutes for the exudate to rehydrate. Studies have shown that a humid environment can reduce the bonding strength between gauze and tissue by 70%. If there is no saline at home, boiled drinking water and cooled to 37°C can be used instead. Avoid using tap water to prevent contamination.

What are the hidden tips for dressing selection?

Traditional gauze dressings are more prone to adhesion due to their coarse fibers and are now being phased out in clinical practice. New dressings, such as silicone foam dressings and hydrocolloid dressings, use special coatings to reduce adhesion, but they are more expensive. For ordinary wounds, gauze containing vaseline (vaseline oil gauze) can be selected, and its fat-soluble matrix can form an isolation layer. It should be noted that the oil gauze cannot directly contact healthy skin, otherwise, it may cause folliculitis.

How to reduce pain when removing gauze?

The direction of removal is crucial. The stripping should be done slowly along the direction of hair growth (usually from the distal end to the proximal end of the limb), avoiding vertical tearing. If the adhesion is tight, it can be removed while rinsing, or the gauze can be cut along the edge of the wound with sterile scissors. For children or sensitive people, lidocaine gel can be applied for surface anesthesia before removal, but attention should be paid to the risk of drug allergy.

What are the fatal misunderstandings in wound care? Some people use alcohol or iodine to disinfect the adhesion directly, which will cause protein coagulation and aggravate the adhesion. Others use a hair dryer to heat the gauze and try to peel it off by melting the adhesion layer, but the high temperature will burn the new tissue. The correct way is to remain patient and use the wet method to gradually separate. If punctate bleeding occurs after forced removal, you can use a sterile cotton swab to apply pressure to stop the bleeding, and there is no need to panic.

Prevention of adhesion needs to start from the source. The moist healing theory points out that maintaining a moist wound environment can accelerate epithelialization and reduce the coagulation of exudate. Dressings containing sodium carboxymethylcellulose can be used to absorb exudate or medical chitosan gel can be applied to form a protective film. For difficult-to-heal wounds such as diabetic foot, negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) can be considered to reduce exudate through continuous negative pressure while avoiding direct contact of gauze with the wound surface.

Gauze adhesion during dressing changes is not an unsolvable problem. From dressing change timing assessment to dressing selection, from removal techniques to prevention strategies, scientific details are hidden in every link. Remember: gentle treatment of wounds is the best gift for healing. For more information on Innomed®Medical Silicone Tape, refer to the Previous Articles. If you have customized needs, you are welcome to contact us; You wholeheartedly. At longterm medical, we transform this data by Innovating and Developing Products that Make Life easier for those who need loving care.

Editor: kiki Jia