Patent ID: 7094212

Claim:
A method for applying a wound dressing to a body member, the wound dressing including a sealed casing defining a central portion and a plurality of elongate flaps and lateral flaps having an interior with a compactable filler material disposed therein, the wound dressing further comprises a valve for introducing and evacuating air from the interior of the casing, the method comprising the steps of: placing the wound dressing along a substantially flat surface in an extended configuration wherein the elongate and lateral flaps, and the central portion extend along said flat surface to thereby evenly distribute the filler material disposed in the casing; positioning the body member onto a first one of the elongate flaps; folding the lateral flaps towards the body member and the central portion; folding a second one of the elongate flaps over the first elongate flap; connecting a vacuum device to the valve; and evacuating air from the interior of the casing while maintaining the body member in a predetermined position to cause the filler material to interengage to form a rigid structure conforming to the body member.