Novel Drape with Hybrid Adhesives Has Improved Adhesion Properties

Dressings that are easy to use and gentle to the periwound area continue to be a significant unmet need in wound care. A novel drape containing composite adhesives—i.e., both acrylic and silicone adhesive—has been recently developed (ha-Drape). While drapes and dressings are commonly required to adhere to both intact and compromised skin, their use in applications such as negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is particularly challenging.

The studies detailed herein investigate the peel force (i.e., force needed to separate the drape from a substrate) and shear values (i.e., ability to maintain adhesion with the substrate under application of vertical load, such as the connecting tube between a NPWT dressing and a vacuum pump) of ha-Drape compared to a silicone-based drape (si-Drape). The average peel force value, a critical parameter to ensure that the drape is securely adhered to skin during NPWT application, was found to be 1.44 ± 0.25 N for the ha-Drape, which was significantly higher compared to the si-Drape (1.04 ± 0.07 N). Further, under application of 20 g vertical load, minimal shear was observed in ha-Drape with 91.8 ± 7.2 % drape coverage compared to si-Drape, which significantly peeled off with 1.3 ± 3.5 % drape coverage under dry conditions. Moreover, in a simulated challenging environment, consisting of water falling at a rate of 21.6 liters per hour to mimic showering conditions, the ha-Drape maintained its adhesion with 83.7 ± 5.6 % coverage remaining compared to the si-Drape, which completely peeled off.

Overall, our study highlights the optimal adhesion properties of ha-Drape that are critical for maintaining an appropriate seal at the wound environment, yet gentle to remove from the periwound area.