Fixation pin entry site dressing and method

A method of dressing the entry site for a fixation pin extending from a mounting bracket through the surface of a patient's skin and into a bone therebeneath, comprising the steps of providing a block of soft, compressible, resilient and highly-absorbent material having a longitudinal primary slit extending along the block's longitudinal midline and a plurality of pairs of transverse slits extending inwardly from opposite sides of said block and partially dividing said block into a multiplicity of segments connected in series by narrow integral septa;

• comparing the distance between said mounting bracket and a patient's skin with a thickness of one or more of said uncompressed segments;
• tearing a septum to separate from said block one or more segments having a total thickness in an uncompressed state greater than said distance;
• then longitudinally compressing said one or more separated segments to a thickness less than said distance;
• fitting said one or more separated segments, while compressed, onto said fixation pin with the portion of said pin between said bracket and said skin being received in said primary slit;
• and relieving the compressive force to allow said one or more segments to expand longitudinally into contact with said bracket and said skin.