US 4,867,150 AGranted

Perforated elastomeric soft film and wound dressing made therewith

AssigneeThe B. F. Goodrich Company

InventorEugene C. Gilbert

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Abstract

The perforations in a film-faced wound dressing have been discovered to have edges which, though clearly defined, lack the ability to cut the neoepithelium of a healing wound, with the result that the film affords an unexpectedly high degree of comfort during movement of the patient- and most particularly, when the dressing is changed. This occurs in a thin, soft, self-supporting elastomeric film, such as a polyether polyurethane (PPU) film, having less than 10% crystallinity. The film provides a degree of conformability not attained heretofore; has a softness and elastomeric quality which results in reduced shear associated with the edges of its perforations as compared with the sharp cutting edges of perforations in plastic film; has excellent releaase characteristics enhanced by less than 25% open area (due to perforations) which minimizes the open area into which the neoepithelium may grow.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A film-faced wound dressing, comprising,

(a) a pad of absorbent gas-permeable fabric formed of fibers held in place by interlocking and frictional engagement with each other, to which fabric is directly attached
(b) an elastomeric, soft, substantially non-absorbent, foraminous thin polyurethane film, less than 2 mil thick, free of adhesive on its lower surface which is to contact the wound, thermally pout bonded to the lower surface of said pad, each perforation in said film having open areas equal to a circle having a diameter of 0.01 to 0.05 of an inch and free of sharp edges, said perforations being present in sufficient number, and so distributed, as to provide for each square inch of overall film surface, an open area in the range from more than about 0.05 in.sup.2 but less than about 0.25 in.sup.2, said perforations characterized by the upper edge of perforation's wall being essentially in the same plane as that of the upper surface of the film;
whereby when said film-faced wound dressing is disposed on the wound with said film placed in contact with healing tissue, said film is releasable from the wound without the peripheral edges of the perforations cutting the healing tissue.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.