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A bandage is a piece of material used either to support a medical device such as a dressing or splint, or on its own to provide support to or to restrict the movement of a part of the body. When used with a dressing, the dressing is applied directly on a wound, and a bandage used to hold the dressing in place. Other bandages are used without dressings, such as elastic bandages that are used to reduce swelling or provide support to a sprained ankle. Tight bandages can be used to slow blood flow to an extremity, such as when a leg or arm is bleeding heavily. Bandages are available in a wide range of types, from generic cloth strips to specialized shaped bandages designed for a specific limb or part of the body. Bandages can often be improvised as the situation demands, using clothing, blankets or other material. In
American English American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the most widely spoken language in the United States and in most circumstances ...
, the word ''bandage'' is often used to indicate a small gauze dressing attached to an
adhesive bandage An adhesive bandage, also called a sticking plaster, medical plaster, or simply plaster in British English, is a small medical dressing used for injuries not serious enough to require a full-size bandage. They are also known by the genericized t ...
.


Types


Gauze bandage (common gauze roller bandage)

The most common type of bandage is the gauze bandage, a woven strip of material with a Telfa absorbent barrier to prevent adhering to wounds. A gauze bandage can come in any number of widths and lengths and can be used for almost any bandage application, including holding a dressing in place.


Adhesive bandage


Liquid bandage


Compression bandage

The term 'compression bandage' describes a wide variety of bandages with many different applications. Short stretch compression bandages are applied to a limb (usually for treatment of lymphedema or
venous ulcer Venous ulcer is defined by the American Venous Forum as "a full-thickness defect of skin, most frequently in the ankle region, that fails to heal spontaneously and is sustained by chronic venous disease, based on venous duplex ultrasound testing." ...
s). This type of bandage is capable of shortening around the limb after application and is therefore not exerting ever-increasing pressure during inactivity. This dynamic is called resting pressure and is considered safe and comfortable for long-term treatment. Conversely, the stability of the bandage creates a very high resistance to stretch when pressure is applied through internal muscle contraction and joint movement. This force is called working pressure. Long stretch compression bandages have long stretch properties, meaning their high compressive power can be easily adjusted. However, they also have a very high resting pressure and must be removed at night or if the patient is in a resting position.


Triangular bandage

Also known as a cravat bandage, a triangular bandage is a piece of cloth put into a right-angled triangle, and often provided with safety pins to secure it in place. It can be used fully unrolled as a sling, folded as a normal bandage, or for specialized applications, as on the head. One advantage of this type of bandage is that it can be makeshift and made from a fabric scrap or a piece of clothing. The Boy Scouts popularized use of this bandage in many of their first aid lessons, as a part of the uniform is a "neckerchief" that can easily be folded to form a cravat.


Tube bandage

A tube bandage is applied using an applicator, and is woven in a continuous circle. It is used to hold dressings or splints on to limbs, or to provide support to sprains and strains, so that it stops bleeding.


Kirigami bandage

A new type of bandage was invented in 2016; inspired by the art of
kirigami is a variation of origami, the Japanese art of folding paper. In , the paper is cut as well as being folded, resulting in a three-dimensional design that stands away from the page. typically does not use glue. Overview In the United States, t ...
, it uses parallel slits to better fit areas of the body that bend. The bandages have been produced with
3D-printed 3D printing or additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer co ...
molds.


See also

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Bandage scissors Bandage scissors, or bandage forceps, are scissors that often have an angled tip with a blunt tip on the bottom blade. This helps in cutting bandages without gouging the skin. Lister bandage scissors and utility bandage scissors exhibit the well ...
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Tulle gras Tulle gras (French, " oily tulle") or tulle gras dressing is a type of bandage commonly used in France, although the term is also used in English. It consists of fabric impregnated with soft paraffin oil (98 parts), balsam of Peru (1 part), and ...
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Compression stockings Compression stockings (Flight Socks, Support Bandage) are a specialized hosiery designed to help prevent the occurrence of, and guard against further progression of, venous disorders such as edema, phlebitis and thrombosis. Compression stockings ...
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Field dressing (bandage) A field dressing or battle dressing is a kind of bandage intended to be carried by soldiers for immediate use in case of (typically gunshot) wounds. It consists of a large pad of absorbent cloth, attached to the middle of a strip of thin fabric us ...
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Dressing (medical) A dressing is a sterile pad or compress applied to a wound to promote healing and protect the wound from further harm. A dressing is designed to be in direct contact with the wound, as distinguished from a bandage, which is most often used to ho ...


References


External links

*''Use of Paper Dressings for Wounds'',
Popular Science ''Popular Science'' (also known as ''PopSci'') is an American digital magazine carrying popular science content, which refers to articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. ''Popular Science'' has won over 58 awards, incl ...
monthly, February 1919, page 68, Scanned by Google Books: https://books.google.com/books?id=7igDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA68 *''A Mechanical Helper for the Red Cross'',
Popular Science ''Popular Science'' (also known as ''PopSci'') is an American digital magazine carrying popular science content, which refers to articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. ''Popular Science'' has won over 58 awards, incl ...
monthly, February 1919, page 74, Scanned by Google Books: https://books.google.com/books?id=7igDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA74 {{Authority control Medical dressings