Such a product might be more cost effective over a period of time. Recently, however, the Drug Tariff seems to have become more closely related to the market place and to patients' needs. In practice, non-Tariff dressings are obtained by the time honoured techniques of begging, stealing and borrowing. Hospital staff need to be aware of the Drug Tariff and its limitations, in order to plan for continuity of wound management as patients go home. Colonization and contamination are not an indication for topical antibiotics, rather an imperative to effective wound healing as quickly as possible, and any sign of significant wound infection is an indication for appropriate systemic antibiotics.
Length given is the unstretched length.
Compared with the fabric dressings used before, however, they were certainly low adherent. Though they have found a variety of uses in securing primary dressings intravenous cannulae and other medical devices, their main indication is lightly exuding, clean, superficial wounds. Dextranomer dressings are indicated for sloughy, infected, medium to heavily exuding wounds. Hydrocolloids are not ideal for infected wounds. The dressing requires a margin of smooth skin around the wound to ensure adhesion.