Table 1.

Polymeric wound dressings: Advantages and disadvantages.

Type of polymeric dressings	Properties	Advantages	Disadvantages
Films	Polyurethanes thin, flexible, transparent and self adhesion films Suitable for: uncontaminated, laser, and superficial wounds	Good gases-permeability, impermeable to bacteria and fluids, easy wound monitoring through film transparency, and less maceration and painless	Difficult handled, adherence to wound bed, non-absorbent allowing wound exudates accumulation, easy bacterial invasion and infection and impermeable for proteins and drugs
Foams	Polyurethane, PEG, and silicone bilaminate layers Suitable for: burns, chronic wounds, cavities wound-shape, and deep ulcers	High absorbent, keep moist environment, non-leakage against bacterial invasion, very easy used, and costless	Very adherent, forming opaque layer which complicates wound monitoring, semi-permeable for gases, non-applicable for dried wounds, and poor stability
Hydrogels	Natural and synthetic polymers, high absorption capacity, and used as soothing and cooling agent for cutaneous wounds. Suitable for: most wounds and burns types	High exudates capacity, non-adherent, easily removed from wound, accelerate the healing, pain and inflammatory reduction, costless, easily developed and handled	Semi-transparent, semi-permeable to gases and water vapor, poor bacterial barrier, and sometimes poor mechanical stability
Alginates	Alginate polymer in woven -fibers form. Ion exchange occurs with Ca-alginate and Na-blood serum Suitable for: surgical wounds and full burns	High absorbent, non adherent, high mechanical stability, stable for long time, easily removed by saline solution, and good bacterial barrier	Very cost, unpleasant odor, difficult handled and unavailable due to their scarcity presence
Hydrocolloids	Two phase’s systems from starch immobilized with iodine, dextran-PEG, or plastic woven polymers Suitable for: chronic ulcers and burns	High absorbent materials, easily removed by saline or sterilized water, non-adherent, high density, water-proof materials, and no pain dressings	Have varied antimicrobial activity based structure, little cytotoxicity, volumetrically unstable, high leakage exudates, dextran hydrocolloid delays healing, impermeable to gases, unpleasant odor and color changes