Compresses

Compresses are the basis of almost all wound care: they clean, dab, cover and pad. GP surgeries, hospitals, care homes and ambulance services use them in large quantities, with different materials and versions for different tasks.

This sub-category contains three compresses. The sterile 10 × 10 cm gauze compress is 100% cotton (17-thread), 8-ply, gamma sterilised and supplied in peel packs. The sterile 5 × 5 cm non-woven wound dressing is described as non-adherent. The non-sterile 10 × 10 cm non-woven compress is for general wound cleansing and padding and comes in bags.

Typical applications

• Covering wounds and post-operative care with the sterile gauze compress
• Covering small wounds with the non-adherent non-woven dressing
• Cleaning around wounds and padding dressings with non-sterile non-woven compresses
• Dressing changes in hospitals and community care

What to look for when buying

Gauze or non-woven is the first decision. Cotton gauze compresses are absorbent and conformable; the thread count (17 here) describes how dense the weave is. Non-woven compresses are soft and low-linting; the sterile 5 × 5 cm version is designed not to stick to the wound.

Sterility is the second question. For open wounds, choose sterile compresses; the non-sterile non-woven compress is intended for cleaning and padding. Pack format matters too: the gauze compress comes in peel packs of 2, 25 per carton, with a minimum of 200 pieces. The other two compresses come in units of 100.

Frequently asked questions