Wound Care Wound Dressing Appropriate wound aftercare is important in preventing contamination or further injury It is recommended that most sutured wounds be covered with antibiotic ointment and a dressing immediately after closure For simple lacerations, an adhesive bandage (e.g., Band-Aid) is sufficient, however larger wounds may benefit from a nonadherent sterile dressing to prevent wound edges from sticking to the dressing This nonadherent dressing should then be covered with a layer of gauze then tape This technique helps to protect and immobilize the wound For the face and trunk, a large bulky dressing is not practical Thus, for small wounds in those areas, a clear plastic adhesive (e.g., Tegaderm) should be used to secure the bandage Rolls of cotton or stretchable tube gauze can be used to wrap larger wounds to keep the sterile dressing in place This keeps the young child from touching the wound Scalp wounds are usually not dressed, though gauze and tube gauze may be applied prior to sleep to avoid staining linens with blood or drainage Patients can generally wash their hair gently after 24 hours For children who are active, it may be best to keep the wound covered until sutures are removed The original dressing should remain in place for 12 to 24 hours after which epithelialization is usually sufficient to keep the wound from gross contamination One study showed that uncovering after 12 hours with gentle washing does not increase the risk of infection After 12 to 24 hours, the bandage should be changed daily and the wound inspected Any dressing should be changed sooner if it becomes soiled, wet, or saturated with drainage because the wet dressing may become a source of infection It may be advisable to splint the wound if it overlies a joint This is most important for active children who will likely resume full activity soon after the injury Some even recommend splinting nearby joints for any large laceration of an extremity to reduce stress across the wound even if it does not involve a joint itself This should be done for no more than 72 hours to prevent muscle atrophy or joint immobility The injured extremity should be elevated to provide comfort and reduce edema Topical Antibiotics For most simple wounds, it is adequate to cover the wound with dry sterile gauze after applying topical antibacterial ointment There have been several studies looking at the different infection rates between certain topical antibiotics and petroleum ointment Overall, it has been found that a triple antibiotic ointment may be preferable in preventing Staphylococcus aureus infection although there