Burns range in severity, depending on the amount of area they cover on the body and how deeply they penetrate through the skin and tissues beneath. They also result from various causes--heat, friction and chemical. Since so many types of burns exist, a wide variety of burn dressings are available in modern medicine, all of which are designed to protect damaged tissue, help a burn wound heal properly and reduce the risk of infection.
Gauze and Fabric Dressing
Dressings made of gauze and fabric are essential to protect nearly every degree of burn wound. Gauze dressings, such as Conform and Kerlex, are designed to wrap around an inner layer of moist dressing to keep it in place over the wound and allow mobility, according to the University of Vermont College of Medicine. Ace bandage is another type of elastic, fabric wrap that can help reduce swelling in the affected area.
Adherent Dressing
Certain burn dressings are designed to adhere to a treated area, and vary both in the material of which they are composed, as well as therapeutic purpose. A low-adherent type of burn wound dressing called Mepitel is a silicone-coated synthetic mesh that a patient or health provider can remove without difficulty from the burn site. Coban is another, more adherent elastic dressing often used to cover burn wounds in the extremities, such as hands, arms and legs.Health care professionals generally wrapped it over an inner layer of dressing.
Antibacterial, Antimicrobial Dressings
Burn dressings that keep the wounded area moist and bacteria-free are crucial to the healing process. Health care providers place Aquacel Ag, a silver absorbent dressing, over a burn wound to pull fluid that drains from the site. As this occurs, this dressing transforms into a gel that protects the burn wound from bacteria as it hardens, according to Ohio State University. Mepilex Ag is an antimicrobial dressing made of soft silicone that releases silver into the wound for up to seven days. Health care practitioners generally wrap these types of burn dressings with a gauze, fabric or adherent to keep them in place.
EMS Dressings
Emergency medical services, or EMS, use types of burn dressings designed to be the first line in burn treatment while they are transporting someone who has suffered a severe burn to a hospital. According to Emory University, water gel dressings are coated with gel, and protect a burn by sealing it off from air and bacteria until nurses can properly treat the wound at the hospital. Burn towels cover the wounded area to offer protection against airborne pathogens, while burn sheets cover someone who has suffered a serious burn injury, preventing loss of vital body heat from burn wounds. Emergency workers often use saline solution, which replaces fluid lost from burn wounds, in conjunction with these sheets.
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