A method and apparatus are disclosed for dressing a wound. The apparatus comprises an absorbent layer for absorbing wound exudate, a liquid impermeable, gas permeable filter layer over the absorbent layer, a cover layer comprising at least one orifice and a first liquid and gas permeable transmission layer underlying the absorbent layer. The transmission layer is in fluid communication with the filter layer.

Connection pads for coupling fluid-instillation and negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) apparatuses to wound dressing, and methods and wound dressings for breaching a drape after coupling a wound dressing to a fluid-instillation and/or NPWT apparatus.

A medical dressing comprising a backing layer and a self-supporting substrate. The backing layers form a perimeter around the self-supporting substrate and holds the self-supporting substrate in place on a wound. The medical dressing forms a sealed environment surrounding the wound such that a negative pressure can be maintained in the sealed environment through the valve.

Apparatus for the application of topical negative pressure therapy to a wound site is described, the apparatus comprising: a wound contacting element for retaining wound exudate fluid therein; a wound covering element that provides a substantially airtight seal over the wound contacting element and wound site; a vacuum connection tube connecting a wound cavity to a vacuum source; and a vacuum source connected to a distal end of the vacuum connection tube.

An apparatus for removing a dressing without removing an adhesive portion comprising: an absorbent central portion; an adhesive frame; the absorbent portion coupled to the adhesive frame by a perforated border; and the perforated border with a tab, whereby a user holds the tab and pulls in any one of a direction to loosen free the absorbent portion from the adhesive frame via the perforated border, thereby freeing the absorbent portion from an applied skin surface without a need for removing the adhesive frame from the applied skin surface for mitigating against a risk of MARSI, tube dislodgement, or any risk associated with constant adhesive tape removal from a skin surface during long-term wound or tube insertion dressing.

Connection pads for coupling fluid-instillation and negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) apparatuses to wound dressing, and methods and wound dressings for breaching a drape after coupling a wound dressing to a fluid-instillation and/or NPWT apparatus.

A wound dressing, a method of manufacturing a wound dressing, and a method of treating a patient are disclosed. The wound dressing may include an absorbent layer for absorbing wound exudate; and an obscuring element for at least partially obscuring a view of wound exudate absorbed by the absorbent layer in use.

Embodiments of a negative pressure wound closure system and methods for using such a system are described. Certain disclosed embodiments facilitate closure of a wound by preferentially exerting a negative pressure on tissue. Some embodiments may utilize a collapsible sheet with a plurality of cells.

A medical dressing is described for prevention of pressure ulcers. The dressing has a gel pad and an anisotropic layer being stiffer in one layer direction. The dressing reduces the shear and compression forces on the skin and in the underlying the soft tissue layers and prevents the onset of pressure ulcers.

Medical dressings are provided that minimize the disruptive forces directed at the device-skin interface during the processes of dressing changes. The instantaneous disruptive force, imparted to a healing skin wound by an adhesive dressing as it is being de-adhesed from the vicinity of the skin wound, is determined, in part, by the yield strength (force/unit area) of the adhesive/skin interface and, in part, by that portion of surface area (area) of skin-dressing adhesion participating in traction of the skin at said instant. A method to minimize the disruptive force of a medical dressing is to reduce the surface area of skin-dressing adhesion being de-adhesed at a specific instant by dividing the total surface area of skin-dressing into substantially smaller subareas, each of which, when being de-adhesed, would impart disruptive forces to the healing skin wound which are smaller than the tensile strength of the skin wound.