Commonly referred to as ABD, an abdominal bandage is used on large wounds and wounds that require heavy absorbent material. Why is the abdominal bandage essential? It was originally meant for the military purpose, used to dress heavy injuries on the fields of battle hence the acronym ABD; “Army Battle Dressing”. A lot of people, doctors, and medical practitioners included, refer to abdominal bandage as a wound dressing bandage. The primary purpose of the abdominal bandage is to act as an absorbent material for heavily leaking or draining wounds.

Every patient’s first goal after a successful surgical operation or an injury is to heal. Treatment and care of wounds, however, is something that is often taken lightly. Attaching a band-aid on a wound does not do much help because not all wounds are the same. During the healing process, wounds might exudate which requires special care and treatment. In this case, abdominal bandages are used in the dressing of the wound. The abdominal bandages absorb fluids and excretion from the wound allowing the wound to remain dry, promoting healing the healing process.  The bandage also keeps the wound moist and acts as a barrier for contaminants preventing entry of pathogens and parasites.

Exudate vs Transudate

There is a subtle difference between wounds that exudate and those that transudate. Wounds that discharge fluid and excretions might seem the same, but there is a delicate difference in terms of the type of discharge. Wounds excreting discharge that has cells, proteins, and other debris is said to be exudate whereas wounds that excrete discharge that has neither cellular debris or proteins is an aid to transudate. The terms have more to do with the discharge than the wounds. In both cases, the discharge needs to be managed. 

wound dressing

For exudate cases, maximum absorption is
very important. The wound should be dressed with an abdominal bandage that has
sealable edges to prevent fluid leakage and keep contaminants away. Exudate
discharge is usually as a result of inflammation while transudate discharge is
caused by hydrostatic pressure.