Table 1.

Overview of the different types of wound dressings, their (dis)advantages and wound application

Dressing category	Advantage(s)	Disadvantage(s)	Examples of commercial dressings	Wound types
Passive
Gauze	Cheap, used as cover	Can stick to and disrupt wound bed upon removal	Sterilux	Minor or superficial clean wounds
Tulle	Does not stick to wound surface	Secondary dressing often required	Jelonet, Bactigras	Flat, shallow wounds with minimal to moderate exudate
Interactive
Semi-permeable films	Allow gaseous exchange of air and water vapour, impermeable for bacteria and fluids, very flexible and conformable	Maceration likely due to limited exudate absorption capacity	DuoDERM	Shallow wounds with low exudate on difficult anatomical sites (e.g. joints)
Semi-permeable foams	Designed to absorb large amounts of exudate, can be left in place for several days	Cause dryness and scabbing on low-exuding wounds	Mepilex (Ag)	Moderate to heavily exuding wounds
Hydrogels	Maintain moisture, allows vapour and oxygen exchange, aids tissue debridement	Fluid accumulation can lead to maceration or infection of skin, mechanically weak	Hydrosorb	Wounds or cavities with low to medium exudate, necrotic wounds
Bioactive
Hydrocolloids	Form gel on wound surface maintaining moisture and vapour/fluid exchange	Not suited for infected or heavily exuding wounds	DuoDERM	Light to moderate exuding wounds, sloughing or granulating wounds
Hydrofibres	Highly absorbent, non-adherent	Usually requires a secondary dressing	Aquacel (Ag/Extra)	Medium to heavily exuding wounds, burns
Alginates	Highly absorbent, optimal moisture level, clotting encouraged	Usually requires a secondary dressing	Kaltostat	Second degree burns, moderate to heavily exuding wounds