Patent ID: 7396975

Claim:
A wound dressing having bodyside and backside surfaces, the wound dressing comprising: a flexible and continuous backing layer having first and second surfaces, and defining center and border portions, the backing layer second surface continuously extending so as to define the backside surface of the wound dressing; a flexible and continuous carrier layer having first and second surfaces, the second surface of the carrier layer entirely thermal bonded to the first surface of the backing layer border portion, the carrier layer defining an opening generally corresponding to the center portion of the backing layer, the carrier layer being stiffer than the backing layer; a first skin adherent silicone-based facing layer directly bonded to the first surface of the carrier layer and having an uninterrupted thickness, the first facing layer defining the border portion of the bodyside surface of the wound dressing; an absorbent core having first and second surfaces, the second surface of the absorbent core connected to the first surface of the backing layer at only the center portion thereof such that the carrier layer is contiguous with peripheral edge portions of the absorbent core; and a second skin adherent silicone-based facing layer directly bonded to the absorbent core, the first facing layer having greater skin adherence properties than the second facing layer, the first and second skin adherent facing layers are co-planar and continuously form the bodyside surface of the wound dressing.