Additional aspects
Additional aspects to consider about dressing function include whether it needs to be detectable. The blue plasters for use in food preparation and retailing businesses need to be easily spotted, adhesive and waterproof.
Coverplast Detectable dressings incorporate two additional detection features: tungsten filaments so they can be spotted by x-ray, and aluminium so that they can be located by metal detectors.5
Plasters and dressings for children typically come in a variety of designs and are water-repellent while being breathable at the same time. These plasters may also be low-adherent so as not to hurt when being removed.5
Antiseptic efficacy
An in vitro study looked at the effect of topical antiseptics on Staphylococcus aureus and found that 1 per cent benzalkonium chloride and 6 per cent hydrogen peroxide both had a significant effect within five minutes.8
However, 2 per cent aqueous eosin and 1:10,000 potassium permanganate showed no significant bactericidal activity compared with control, even after an hour. The researchers concluded: “Aqueous eosin and potassium permanganate may have desirable astringent properties, but these results suggest they lack effective antiseptic activity, at least against S aureus.â€