|
The Bandage - Reinvented For The
21st Century
A sterile bandage, also known
as a sterile dressing, is any material that is free from
infectious matter and that is used to cover an open wound
or injury to help control bleeding and prevent additional
contamination from the environment. Some type of sterile
bandage often is used to restore the protection to the
body temporarily by covering the break or tear in the skin
while it heals.
There is more than one type of
sterile bandage; adhesive bandages, medicated bandages,
cohesive bandages and liquid bandages all can be included
as sterile dressings. The choice of which type to use
generally is dictated by the type and severity of the
injury. For example, emergency medical technicians (EMTs)
and paramedics in the United States often use a special
type of sterile bandage known as an occlusive dressing.
This is done in order to form an airtight seal over an
open wound to large veins in the neck, the abdomen or the
chest.
According the Bandage
history
In 1920 : Brand
Adhesive Bandages make their first appearance on the
market. They are made by hand and are not a big hit. They
were three inches wide and eighteen
inches long.
In 1938 : Completely
sterile bandages are introduced
In 1958 : Brand Adhesive Bandages are first
produced in sheer vinyl.
In 1963 : Adhesive bandages go into space with
Mercury astronauts.
 The
conventional bandage does not cover all wounds well. A cut
on your finger is different than a cut on your thumb.
Consumers have to buy a box full of multiple shaped and
sized bandages. University students in Taiwan have come up
with a design that features cutaways so the bandage can be
adjusted to fit the location of the wound. The name of
which is AmoeBAND which became a 2012 IDEA Award
Finalist by innovating every possible aspect of the
bandage. The name comes from the shape-shifting
amoeba.
The design revisions
include:
Strategic cut-outs shape
to fit fingers in such a way that it is easy to bend them
and not disrupt the bandage.
An intelligent dressing
material allows you to regularly check wounds from the
outside, without upsetting the healing process.”According
to research, when an infection of a wound is detected, the
pH value is between 6.5 and 8.5. AmoeBAND’s indicator
cross turns purple, alerting the user needs to change it
immediately.”
Since the bandage material
used exudes a leather-like feel, availability in
different skin-tones helps it blend in, without overly
highlighting the injury.
The packaging has been
redesigned to a matchbox style and includes
Braille instructions.
A pH-sensitive cross at the
center alerts the wearer if the wound is infected.
|
