Recent research and progress of medical dressings

BACKGROUND: Medical dressings can play a temporality barrier function as skin substitute in wound healing, which can avoid or control wound infection. With the increasing of aging and chronic ulcer wound, medical dressings play a more important role. OBJECTIVE: To review the recent research and progress of medical dressings, in addition, to explore its developing direction. METHODS: Elsevier database and CNKI was retrieved by computer with key words of "medical dressing, collagen, gel and chitosan" to search papers published between January 1980 and January 2009. Related papers addressing medical dressings were selected. According to inclusion criteria, 35 literatures were selected in this study. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Currently, the medical dressings can be classified into natural polymer, synthetic macromolecule, inorganic material and composite. Their performances and clinical application were reviewed respectively. The quality control and future development of medical dressing products were also discussed. This paper can provide a theoretical foundation for the researcher in study and development of medical dressings, manufacturer in the quality control and government in product quality supervision.