Secreting skin wounds, such as decubitus ulcers, venous stasis ulcers, infected traumatic wounds, open surgical wounds and burns have long been a medical problem to keep clean and dry. If blood, serum and purulent matter are allowed to accumulate in the craters and crevices of these wounds, bacterial growth and crusted organic matter will promote infection and delay healing. In addition, secreting skin wounds may lead to anemia, infections, shock and even death through the loss of body proteins, electrolytes, fluids and heat.
Methods used in the past to cover and protect secreting skin wounds have consisted of gauze dressings, nonwoven fabrics, and a variety of other cellulose and synthetic products. Enzyme preparations and other chemical agents have also been used to digest organic secretions from skin ulcers. More recently, spherical hydrophilic beads of dextronomers have been utilized to absorb secretions from skin ulcers. However, all of these approaches have shortcomings related to absorption capacities, wound cleaning, body movement, expense and effectiveness.
Therefore, a need has arisen for a wound dressing for providing an elastic barrier between the body's internal environment and the external environment. A need has also arisen for a wound dressing which would in itself absorb large quantities of blood, serum and pus, separate these secretions from subcutaneous tissues, provide a heat transmission barrier between the body and the external environment, provide at least a partial barrier to loss of body fluids and electrolytes, provide some relief from pain, prevent drying of denuded subcutanaceous tissues, allow for body movement without breakage of the barrier between the wound and external environment and be reasonably economical in cost.