BPC Dressings

BPC Dressings British Pharmaceutical Codex) will be in a sterile packet, which should be opened carefully by a person with clean or gloved hands. Then, to avoid contamination of the sterile dressing, it is not removed from the opened packet until the wound is ready to be covered.

BPC Dressings used to control bleeding must be bulky to ensure that adequate pressure is applied over the injured area. The most common dressing is made of combined wool or cellulose, covered in a light cotton woven fabric, and these are generally known as ‘combine dressings’.

Some primary wound dressings are labelled as BPC or BP (because they are listed in the British Pharmacopoeia) and consist of a sterile combined dressing with an attached bandage. They are ideal for filling crater wounds or controlling severe bleeding.

Sterile gauze squares are used mainly for cleaning a wound. Cotton wool should NOT be used because of loose cotton fibres that might stick to the wound during healing.

• Highly absorbent cotton pad attached to a gauze bandage which secures and lightly compresses the dressing
• Lightweight, sterile padding ensures comfort and absorbs the flow of blood
• A first aid kit staple, compact to fit in any bag, box, or cabinet

What is a BPC Dressing you ask?