Vented wound dressing

A vented wound dressing comprising a thin conformable sheet material a portion of which is adopted for placement as a dressing covering a wound and skin surrounding the wound, the dressing having a periphery defined by opposed edges of the sheet material, the sheet material having opposed surfaces, one of the surfaces carrying a layer of a pressure-sensitive adhesive, the adhesive in that portion for placement on the wound being applied to provide repeating spaced areas containing no adhesive, at least a portion of only the repeating areas of the sheet material containing no adhesive having slits extending through the opposed surfaces of the sheet material to permit transfer of wound fluids through the sheet material unimpeded by a presence of adhesive material which can clog the slits and thereby inhibit fluid transfer therethrough, each of the slits having smaller dimensions than the repeating areas of the sheet material containing no adhesive whereby each slit occupies only a portion of the area containing no adhesive having a slit, the dimensions and number of the slits being such as to retain sufficient moisture to provide a moist healing wound dressing, the adhesive around the periphery of the sheet material being present as a continuous layer uninterrupted by repeating areas containing no adhesive for securing the dressing to skin, the continuous peripheral layer of adhesive defining the portion of the sheet material adapted for placement on a wound, the continuous peripheral layer of adhesive further maintaining a barrier function against bacteria and other external contaminants as well as helping to insure that no wound fluids escape laterally.