A First Aid Essential! Sta-Tite Elastic Gauze
Written: Dec 20 '03 (Updated Dec 20 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy to use, more effective than adhesive bandages for large areas.
Cons: Won’t protect wound from dirt or foreign debris.
The Bottom Line: Have a large wound to cover? Don’t want to use an adhesive bandage? Need to allow a wound to breathe? Sta-Tite Elastic Gauze is a great option!
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| Freak369's Full Review: Sta-Tite Gauze |
Having had my share of household accidents, tattoos and sick animals gave me a tremendous amount of experience with first aid products. This resulted in a lot of wasted money, products that just didn’t work and a closet full of things that haven’t seen the light of day in ages. One product that I use on an almost weekly basis is Sta-Tite Elastic Gauze. You might not think that an elastic gauze is all that interesting a subject but if you ever had a wound or injury to a sensitive area of your body and cringed at the thought of using an adhesive band-aid or patch – you will appreciate the durability and ease of use of a roll of gauze. Lets cut to the nitty gritty here, adhesive band-aids are a one shot deal. Peel it off once and it never seems to stick the same way again – no matter how hard you press on it. This is where a strip of elastic gauze comes to the rescue. It can be removed and reapplied several times, can be used over gauze patches to hold them in place instead of trying to tape them down and makes quick work of changing dressings or flushing out a wound.
Sta-Tite Elastic Gauze
This product is available in several sizes and is the same brand that most hospitals choose so you know you are getting a high quality product that’s guaranteed sterile until the package is opened [providing that you purchase the sterile version]. I’ve used both the retail version as well as the hospital packs and can say without a doubt that they are the same identical product, the only difference is the way the gauze is packaged. The retail version comes in a poly seal pouch inside a box with warnings and instructions printed on the outer carton. The hospital [also called industrial packs] version comes in an individually sealed poly pack with a thick paper face that carries the usage information, size and precautions. To complicate things even more, both are sold in either a sterile or non-sterile format. Since the sterile version is only about .50 cents more per pack, it makes sense to pick up this version when dressing a wound or covering any injury that has not yet started the scabbing process.
This product resembles regular gauze pads in a lot of ways – the only real difference is that it’s a single layer instead of multi-layers and it comes uncut. You will need sharp scissors to cut this because of the woven threads that bind the material together. The nice thing about this is that it can be trimmed to fit almost any size wound and can be held in place with a small piece of tape or simply stretched a little and pressed in to place. The latter method will eventually unravel if you move around too much but if you aren’t planning on getting up and moving around, this method will work just fine. If you are using this as the only method of covering a wound you will want to change it often so blood won’t collect on the wound making it a little painful to remove without soaking it. A great way to get around this is to apply a thin layer of a topical antibiotic cream that acts sort of like a buffer – the wound gets protection against dirt and you reduce the risk of having the gauze stick to the area.
The term elastic is a bit misleading. This isn’t something that is going to stretch or have a tremendous amount of give to it. It’s made to wrap a wound securely allowing you to adjust the amount of pressure on it and still give you mobility. Standard gauze wraps are basically the same but the minute you move it tends to slide all over the place. The perfect example of this was an injury to my son’s knee. He slipped, fell and tore up his knee – not so bad that it needed stitches or a trip to the emergency room but bad enough that it needed several gauze pads and a few layers of the elastic gauze wrap over it. If I tried to use a standard square adhesive pad it would have fallen off in a matter of minutes, not to mention the pain associated with having to remove it to change it. Wrapping it with the elastic gauze allowed him to get up and move around without it sliding all over the place but let just the right amount of air into it to start crusting / scabbing around the edges.
Most of the rolls are single layer wraps meaning that you pop them out of the poly bag and use them. The larger ones are folded over and can be used ‘as is’ or unfolded for single layer use. Picking the right size all depends on what you are going to be using it for. To stock your first aid kit I’d suggest going with the two or three inch size but you cal also pick this up in a four or six inch sized roll. Pay attention to the packaging to see if you are purchasing the sterile or non-sterile version as well since some wounds will require the sterile version. If you are simply using this to hold a gauze pad in place then the non-sterile version will work just as well for you. Once a package has been opened it is no longer considered sterile unless it remains untouched by human hands so if you are dealing with a serious situation, break out the latex or rubber gloves and do not place the gauze roll anywhere except back in the poly pack – this will keep it from coming in contact with dirt or bacteria however it isn’t a 100% guarantee that it will remain sterile.
Price
If you are looking to purchase more than a few rolls of this I suggest checking in your local health care center or visiting a medical supply store. Most of the retail medical supply stores are between 30% and 40% less than drug stores, grocery stores or places like Wal-Mart and Target. An average roll – two or three inch size – costs anywhere from $2.00 - $3.00 at most retail locations but if you purchase these at a medical supply store or warehouse you can get them for a lot less. Is it worth the price? Given that you can choose from different sizes, sterile or non-sterile versions and that there’s just enough “give” to it – I have to say that it is most definitely worth it. If you aren’t having any luck finding it you can check with your pharmacist or stop by the pharmacy of your local hospital or urgent care clinic to see if they have these in stock and can sell them to you.
Things To Know
• This is a great first aid item to have on hand if you own any type of pet. When my beloved male guinea pig started to show signs of extreme incontinence but was otherwise in great health and in no sign of pain, I used this gauze as a makeshift diaper for him so he could still get around the house without “leaving his mark” everywhere.
• Planning on getting a tattoo but are a little concerned with how to care for it? During the healing stages of a tattoo, keeping it moist, fee from bacteria and out of direct sunlight are the most important things but what happens when you apply the healing ointment and need to wear something over it? Sure plastic wrap is a quick fix but it tends to slide all over the place and can get extremely messy. Cut off a section of the Sta-Tite gauze, apply it over the tattoo and hold in place with a piece of tape. This allows it to breathe but keeps a majority of the surface area free from lint, dirt, clothing and foreign objects.
• These are an indispensable type of item when it comes to treating wounds on children. It allows you to keep an injury clean but at the same times gives them the freedom and ability to move around. This is also great for keeping smaller kids from scratching bug bites or chicken pox, covering rashes and treating mild burns that need to be kept clean but also need oxygen.
The Bottom Line
I’ve been more than pleased with the Sta-Tite brand of elastic gauze and will continue to use it when needed. There are so many perks to using this that I could sit here for another hour typing them out for you. The bottom line is this – unless you have a wound or injury that is profusely bleeding or weeping [large number of bug bites, poison ivy etc], this is a great product to use to cover an area after its been cleaned and a topical antibiotic cream has been applied. It will keep most of the medicine in place and off our clothing and furniture but won’t prevent the area from getting air.
As always, thanks for the read!
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2003 Freak369
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End Note: The product listed here is Sta-Tite Gauze but the complete [and correct name] is Sta-Tite Elastic Gauze. The trademarked Sta-Tite name is owned by Tyco Healthcare and marketed under the Kendall Athletic brand name.
Recommended:
Yes
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