Wound dressings provide a tenacious occlusive seal against the skin of a wearer, even in the presence of excessive blood or heavy perspiration. The preferred embodiment uses a hydrogel island providing superior hydrophilic gel adhesion. The product performs under extreme temperatures (i.e., 32-140 F.), and may be used to hold other dressings in place. Different vented embodiments are disclosed. A preferred structure includes a cover layer peripherally bonded to backing and hydrogel layers having a central aperture therethrough. The cover layer may have one or more holes, passages, tunnels or pockets to release pressure from a wound through the central aperture to the ambient environment. Layers that come in contact with blood products are preferably anti-thrombogenic to reduce or eliminate thrombi, or clotting that might interfere or obstruct venting. In particular, blood-contacting cover and cover/backing layers may use a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) film, more particularly a polyether TPU film.

A bandage including a padding material, a hydrogel material; and a substrate is taught. The padding material of the bandage is co-disposed by the hydrogel material and both the padding material and the hydrogel material are carried by the substrate. The bandage is created by providing a substrate having a first and second planar surface. Then, a hydrogel material is placed onto the second planar surface of the substrate. Finally, a padding material is placed onto the second planar surface of the substrate so that the padding material is co-disposed by the hydrogel material.

A device for sealing and securing a catheter at its insertion site in order to provide for optimum safe catheter function, and to achieve maximum catheter longevity/dwell time is described. The sterile seal achieved by this device fully protects the catheter and its insertion site from external contamination. The unique sterile seal also functions to fully stabilize and secure the catheter, thereby minimizing traumatic catheter injury and loss. A means of continuously viewing the insertion site is also provided, as well as mechanisms for maintaining sterility of the sterile chamber that is formed around the catheter insertion site by the integrated sealing and securing device. Together these features allow for improved catheter safety and function, and allow catheters to safely remain in place for an extended period of time. The need to change catheter dressings at intervals is minimized or eliminated.

Apparatus and associated methods for a hydrogel wound covering membrane may include a backing layer and a release liner each having high pliability for permitting the membrane to be folded without pinching a sandwiched hydrogel layer thereby preventing its thinning in folded regions. In an illustrative embodiment, the hydrogel layer may annularly circumscribe a central wound region of the membrane. The thickness of the annulus may be selected to prevent water from penetrating the annulus for water exposures of a predetermined length of time. In some embodiments, a gauze may be affixed to a central portion of the membrane for gentle contact with a wound when the membrane is affixed to a wounded person. The membrane may advantageously maintain a substantially uniform hydrogel thickness when folded or rolled, so as to permit secure annular adhesion circumscribing a wound when unfolded or unrolled and applied.

A method of adhering wet tissues together includes providing a dry adhesive material that contains one or more hydrophilic polymers, one or more amine coupling groups, and one or more cross linkers. The method including the steps of placing the dry adhesive material in contact with one or more wet tissue surfaces; allowing the dry adhesive material to absorb liquid from the one or more wet surfaces to thereby swell the adhesive material; allowing instant crosslinking by intermolecular interactions between the adhesive material and the one or more wet surfaces; and allowing quick covalent crosslinking between the adhesive material and the one or more wet surfaces.

One subject of the present invention is a dressing essentially consisting of: an absorbent nonwoven compress formed from a mixture: of bicomponent thermal bonding non-absorbent fibers, of core-shell type, said core being made of polyester (polyethylene terephthalate, PET) and the shell being made of polyethylene; of bicomponent superabsorbent fibers of core-shell type with a core made of polyacrylonitrile and a shell made of polyacrylate; and a net fabric made from a hydrocolloid elastomer mass partially covering the face of the compress intended to come into contact with the wound. This product is especially intended to promote the healing of chronic wounds by optimizing the debridement.

Methods and products for protecting tissue of a patient during a surgical procedure that involve making an incision in the tissue and retracting the tissue to make a larger opening, wherein the methods and products use a water-absorbing stress-distributing layer.

A substrate based skin contact material formed from a hydrocolloid having a silicone based component extending over regions of the substrate surface. The adhesive is formed non-continuously over the substrate to provide areas devoid of adhesive to allow appreciable moisture transfer between the skin and substrate and improve the skin friendliness of the material during use and allow convenient removal with avoidance of skin irritation.

Methods and compositions for securing to and removing adhesive tapes from substrates, e.g., delicate substrates such as skin, are described. The methods include providing an adhesive tape comprising an adhesive layer and a support layer in contact with the adhesive layer. A first adhesion level between the adhesive layer and the support layer is, or can be controlled to be, less than a second adhesion level between the adhesive layer and the substrate. The methods further include applying the adhesive tape to the substrate by contacting the adhesive layer to the substrate while the support layer remains in contact with the adhesive layer; and removing the support layer from the substrate by separating the support layer from the adhesive layer.

An absorbable hemostatic nonwoven patch utilizes a biocompatible substrate comprised of melt-blown microfibers as webbed sheets that are layered and bonded/entangled in descending density and ascending porosity; the substrate having a high flexibility, strength and porosity that is suitable for coating cross-linkable active molecules and ability for laparoscopic use or trocar deployment, ultimately for functional use as a highly effective hemostat in addressing problematic bleeding during both open and minimally invasive surgical procedures.