Medical Gauze Guide, Presented by Express Medical Supply

Gauze is a fabric that has many different uses, medical gauze is specifically used in wound care. Gauze pads, bandage rolls, and other medical dressings all take advantage of the highly absorbent quality of gauze. It is a versatile product and can be used by itself or it can be saturated with petroleum like in Xeroform. When it comes to medical gauze you will have a lot of choices so it is best to ask your doctor for a recommendation. If you are using medical gauze to treat an open wound then you should make sure you are using a sterile gauze. It is important that wounds are kept clean and the best way to do that is to use sterile medical supplies. Switching from regular nitrile gloves and using sterile gloves instead can keep a sterile zone for your wound. Your medical supply store should have a selection of types of gauze, such as sterile gauze pads, bandage rolls, nitrile gloves, and wound cleansers. All of these can help you avoid infection.medical gauze bandage

Two Main Types of Medical Gauze:
Woven Gauze
Woven gauze has a loose open weave. The loose nature of the weave allows the fluid from the wound to be absorbed into the fibers. The open weave helps the wound fluid to pass through the gauze and be absorbed by other more absorbent dressings such as a gauze pads or sponges. Woven gauze cannot be cut, the cotton material, because it is woven, will start to unravel. The debris or lint can get lost in the wound which will delay healing. Woven gauze is a general gauze that is used as a secondary dressing. It should not be used directly against a wound because it can dry the wound out which will make dressing removal painful and it would damage any newly healed tissues.

Non Woven Gauze

Non woven gauze is made from fibers that resemble a weave but they are not woven, they are pressed together and condensed. This tight pattern helps non-woven gauze absorb more wound fluid, which really means that it increases the over-all absorbency. Non woven gauze has less loose lint than traditional woven gauze which means fewer bits and pieces of gauze left behind in your wound. Those small pieces of fluff and lint can cause problems because any type of debris in your wound can delay healing. Non woven fibers are usually made with polyester or rayon and sometimes they are blends of both. This gauze tends to be more durable and more comfortable than woven gauze pads. Non woven gauze can be used as a primary dressing.