Surgical Dressings and Wound Management (Paperback)

In the last few decades, our increased knowledge of the mechanisms involved in wound repair has stimulated the development of many new dressings and wound management techniques. If these are to be used in the most appropriate and cost-effective manner, practitioners must have a good understanding of the properties and key functions of the products concerned. This book has been produced to offer specific guidance in this important area, containing chapters on silver dressings, honey products, medical maggots and negative pressure therapy in addition to more conventional products including hydrocolloids, foam, films and fibrous dressings made from alginate or CMC. Each chapter contains an account of the historical development, structure and method of use of the individual treatments, and all of this information is supplemented by the results an extensive review of the clinical literature for each product group. A final chapter offers some simple observations on the principles of dressing selection by making reference to a variety of different wound types. This section also illustrates how the use of an incorrect treatment may cause significant problems to the patient and their carers. The book contains 720 pages and 125 illustrations, many in full colour, making it perhaps the most comprehensive source of reference of its type currently available.