Comfort and compressional characteristics of padding bandages.
BACKGROUND
Padding bandage is an essential component of the multi-layer compression system used for chronic venous management. Padding plays a critical role in managing pressure over bony prominences and ensuring uniform pressure distribution around the limb circumference. Moreover, it helps in the management of heat, moisture and body fluids or exudates during the course of treatment to provide comfort to the patients.


OBJECTIVE
To study the effect of structural and constructional parameters on the compressional (pressure absorption or distribution) and comfort (air, moisture and heat transmission) characteristics of the padding.


METHODS
This research focuses on the examination of polypropylene based nonwoven padding samples. Critical factors, i.e., fiber linear density, needling density and mass per unit area, have been chosen for this study to find their significance on the performance of padding. Simple laboratory based methods have been proposed to examine pressure reduction and comfort characteristics of the padding.


RESULTS
Pressure absorption by the padding decreases with increase in mass per unit area and needling density of the padding. A padding composed of thicker fiber absorbs more pressure compared to padding made from thinner fiber. On examining comfort, it was found that the air and moisture vapor transmission increase with decrease in mass per unit area and needling density but have opposite effects with fiber linear density (p<0.01). The heat transmission decreases with increase in both mass per unit area and fiber linear density but has opposite effect for needling density.


CONCLUSIONS
Padding composed of thick fiber with low mass per unit area and needling density could be more effective in pressure management and ensuring comfort. These results could be very useful for health practitioners, fabric engineers and manufactures to understand the significance of fibrous materials and their role in compression management, and could be further used as design consideration to optimized padding performance.
Textiles and Clothing, UC Davis, Davis, CA 95616, United States. Electronic address: bipiniitd18@gmail.com.
Bipin
B
Kumar
Department of Textile Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016, India.
Jitender
J
Singh
Department of Textile Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016, India.
Apurba
A
Das
Department of Textile Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016, India.
R
R
Alagirusamy
D065966:Absorption, Physicochemical; D000388:Air; D058128:Compression Bandages; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D006244:Hardness; D008422:Materials Testing; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010539:Permeability; D011126:Polypropylenes / Q000737:chemistry*; D011312:Pressure; D013814:Thermal Conductivity; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
D011126:Polypropylenes; D014867:Water
Bandage; Chronic venous disorders; Comfort; Multi-layer; Nonwoven; Padding; Pressure