How to Dress a Venous Stasis Leg Ulcer

How to apply dressing to leg ulcers such as Venous Stasis Ulcers of lower leg(s).

Steps

  1. After the old bandage(s) have been removed, apply a small amount of normal saline to the wound bed to wash away any debris.
  2. If your doctor has ordered Santyl to be applied to the wound, apply the Santyl immediately.
  3. Once the Santyl has been applied, measure and cut a piece of the Adaptec (or Mepitel) to cover the wound.
  4. If you have been instructed by your Wound Care Doctor to use Xeroform, measure and cut the Xeroform to fit across the wound bed.  
  5. Once the Adaptec, Mepitel and/or Xeroform have been applied to cover the wound bed apply several gauze pads and then wrap the rolled gauze all the way around the leg.  
  6. Do not leave wrinkles in the gauze, wrap the rolled gauze so no wrinkles are in it.  
  7. Do not roll the gauze tightly, ask the patient if it feels tight and adjust the rolls accordingly.
  8. Apply tape to the end of the rolled gauze to secure the entire bandage.  
    • You do not need to wrap the tape around the leg just enough tape to secure the bandage.

Things You'll Need

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