Hello,
At our facility, Covaderm Plus is used as an alternative dressing for central lines (all types) when patients present with adhesive allergies/sensitivities to other occlusive dressings. The website for the Covaderm Plus indicates that these are semi-occlusive dressings and are used to replace tape and gauze. Should this dressing be treated as a gauze dressing and changed every 2 days? I do know from personal experience that the Covaderm Plus dressing is highly permeable to water, whereas the transparent dressings are not.
Not familar with this dressing. Can you actually see the site? If not, and due to its permeability, I would treat it like gauze and tape and change q 48 h.
Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, NPD-BC, CRNI
Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc.
PO Box 10
Milner, GA 30257
Website http://www.hadawayassociates.com
Office Phone 770-358-7861
Thank you for your reply, Lynn. No you cannot see the site. Here is a link to the product:
http://www.deroyal.com/medicalproducts/woundcare/product.aspx?id=wc-genwound-covadermplusvad
This is more similar to tape and gauze than to a TSM. But going back to your original message, just want to point out that "allergy" is the least likely cause of any skin irritation under an adhesive dressing. Have you investigated all the causes of MARSI - medical adhesive related skin injury? This could be the type of adhesive, your skin antiseptic, lack of use of a skin protective barrier solution, or the method of applying the TSM. If the skin is not protected and all solutions are not thoroughly dry, any dressing can cause MARSI. Also simply stretching the TSM as it is applied can cause MARSI.
Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, NPD-BC, CRNI
Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc.
PO Box 10
Milner, GA 30257
Website http://www.hadawayassociates.com
Office Phone 770-358-7861