When you’re a patient, the last thing you want is for your provider to slap some bargain-bin office tape on you and call it a day. You’d probably ask, “What happened to all the first aid tape rolls?!”
Specialized materials are key to safe wound care recovery. When constructing a dressing, you’ll want to use the correct materials for the best chance of proper healing.
Strouse has used medical tape to prototype hundreds of different wound dressing products. This list of the best medical tapes contains effective adhesives we’ve chosen because of their innovation so that you can find the right adhesive for your project.
Best Tapes For Wound Dressing
The best wound dressing tapes secure wound dressings to the body without harming the skin. Wound dressings are a staple part of the healing process, and wound dressing tapes ensure that the bandages can adhere to the injuries and surrounding skin.
Wound dressings often require specialized tapes to match the healing criteria of a specific condition. The following tapes are listed in order from adhesives that warrant highly specific applications to the ones used in more general wound dressing situations.
Keep in mind that hundreds of similar products (often offered by the same suppliers) could be a great fit. With these options, you can decide what you want and ultimately find a tape that meets all your expectations.
This article isn’t sponsored: it’s a compilation of products Strouse has worked with throughout the years and found especially useful for our projects.
TAPE #1: 3M 4576 EXTENDED WEAR TAPE
Description: 3M 4576 is a medical component cloth tape that will attach to the skin for up to 21 days and support various fixings or wearables. This fabric tape is a single-sided acrylic nonwoven with a polyester spunlace carrier and an acrylic adhesive.
Uses:
- Device-to-skin applications (wearables)
- Wound dressings
- Wrappings
3M 4576 is comfortable, breathable, and biocompatible for use on intact skin.
TAPE #2: AVERY DENNISON MED 5583H
Description: MED 5583H by Avery Dennison is a transparent polyurethane (PU) medical film with unique hydrocolloid capabilities that promote effective healing. The hydrocolloid (biodegradable and breathable) adhesive encourages wound saturation for better skin healing conditions.
Uses:
- Ostomy tape
- Device fixation
- Wound care / fixing wound dressings
This tape is conformable and transparent, with a high absorption rate.
TAPE #3: DERMAMED DM 4009
Description: DM 4009 by DermaMed is a clear, single-coated PU film with an acrylic adhesive and medium adhesion strength. Despite its medium adhesion strength, DM 4009 has a high MVTR, or Moisture Vapor Transmission Rate, which allows moisture to escape.
Uses:
- Dressings that suit wounds at risk of maceration (bed sores, venous or diabetic ulcers, and third-degree burns)
Not all injuries benefit from a moist environment, and DermaMed DM 4009 is a high MVTR tape applicable in various situations.
TAPE #4: MACTAC TM 8101 ACRYSURE NEXT GEN
Description: Mactac TM 8101 is a comfortable, moisture-rich wound dressing. The design encourages moisture vapor transmission for the sake of more effective healing. It’s lightweight, non-woven, and valuable in multi-layered wound care.
Uses:
- Wound dressings
- Ostomy
- Fixation devices
- Electrode/Sensor construction
This adhesive works for about 3-5 days of use, which is considered long-term. In addition, TM 8101 has a soft feel yet powerful adhesion capabilities.
TAPE #5: AVERY DENNISON MED 5707
Description: Avery Dennison’s MED 5707 is single-coated, has a carrier, and is breathable. It’s a spunlace nonwoven tape with acrylic adhesive and vapor transmission rate properties. It is die-cuttable and heat-sealable (which helps block, preserve, or mold materials into the desired shape).
Uses:
- Wound dressing
- Fixation devices
- Ostomy
- Electromedical applications
TAPE #6: 3M 1533 MICROPORE TAPE
Description: 3M 1533 is a micropore surgical tape made of rayon nonwoven fabric. It doesn’t come with a liner and is easy to print, effortless to process, and thoroughly tested against severe skin inflammation.
Uses:
- Dressings made with fabric tape
- Single-sided cloth covertape
- Device innovations
- Electrode securement
TAPE #7: MACTAC TM 5170 VISODERM SUPPORT SHEET
Description: Mactac TM 5170 is a Visoderm thin film designed to control the vapor transmission of bandages through breathability and moisture management of the skin barrier.
Uses:
- Negative pressure wound dressings
- IV Securement
- Multi-layer wound care constructions
TAPE #8: DERMAMED DM 4001
Description: DermaMed’s DM 4001 has medical-grade, pressure-sensitive acrylic adhesive on one side underneath a silicone-coated release liner. It is remarkably similar to DM 4009; however, the 4001 also has a two-millimeter polyethylene carrier.
Uses:
- Steel adhesion
- Wound care
- Surgical dressings
TAPE #9: AVERY DENNISON MED 1827
Description: MED 1827 is another polyurethane film acrylic adhesive tape built for comfort while decreasing the risk of bacterial infections.
Uses:
- Incise applications
- Wound care
- IV securement
- High MVTR applications
Although it has relatively low adhesion, the thin, flexible film can conform well to surfaces. At the same time, its transparency allows healthcare professionals to see the skin around the wound despite the adhesives.
Finding wound dressing tape isn’t as simple as buying the first tape that meets your budget. Instead, there will likely be additional factors to ensure it meets your project requirements.
Finding the Right Wound Dressing For Your Project
Finding your tape soulmate can be challenging. Even with a suitable material, your design may not function as intended.
Sharp lines and layers add to your part’s complexity, which can increase the cost of your final product. You don’t want your project to fall victim to unnecessary layers or complex lines in your technical drawing.
Converters can help you navigate the product design and material selection phases by consolidating the layers of a piece and providing critical advice that will save you money. When you communicate with a converter early on, you can make any necessary changes to optimize your drawing and decrease your labor time.
If you’re still developing your product, request a sample to try different materials and ensure that your part is exactly what you need for medical applications.
Experiment with your design today, or explore more information on wound dressing tapes and medical products in our Learning Center.
Originally published: December 2, 2022
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