dressing

medicine

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 25, 2026

Quick Summary

In medicine, a dressing is a medicated covering applied to an injury to promote healing and prevent infection. Wounds, whether from injury or surgery, heal in several ways, with the chosen method depending on factors like contamination and tissue health.12

Key aspects of wound treatment include:
* Cleansing: Thorough cleaning is essential, often involving irrigation with saline solution.2
* Closure: Methods like sutures, staples, or tape are used to bring wound edges together.2
* Protection: Dressings shield the wound from external contamination and absorb drainage.2

Battlefield medicine focuses on the prompt treatment of wounded military personnel, emphasizing immediate control of bleeding, as a significant portion of casualties die from blood loss within the first hour of injury. This field has seen advancements in first-aid kits, including tourniquets and specialized pressure dressings.3

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

4 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

therapeutics
Wound treatment
Dressings protect the wound from external contamination and facilitate absorption of drainage. Because a surgical wound is most susceptible to surface contamination during the first 24 hours, an occlusive dressing is applied, consisting of gauze held in place by tape. Materials such as transparent semipermeable…
Read More
Dressings protect the wound from external contamination and facilitate absorption of drainage. Because a surgical wound is most susceptible to surface contamination during the first 24 hours, an occlusive dressing is applied, consisting of gauze held in place by tape. Materials such as transparent semipermeable…
Read More