Spray Bandages in Modern Wound Care: A Comprehensive Review of Synthetic and Herbal Film-Forming Systems

Abstract: Spray bandages can be regarded as a future-oriented wound management technique, which provides immediate non
contact wound cover by creating a thin, flexible, and breathable layer of polymeric film when solvent vapor is present. Compared
to traditional wound dressing methods like gauze or adhesive strips, spray bandages are able to shape greatly to irregular wound
surfaces, which minimizes pain on application and removal, has lower chances of contamination and decreases the number of
changing bands. These qualities lead to better patient adherence and positive healing results. The strategies that are used to formulate
spray bandages (such as the choice of an appropriate film-forming polymer, solvent systems, plasticizers, and integration of
therapeutic agents) are critically important in determining the performance of such products. All these factors determine the
integrity, permeability, mechanical strength and drug-release behavior of a film, which finally determines clinical efficacy.
Although their benefits are encouraging, their introduction is restricted by their drawbacks like stability of formulation, regulatory
restrictions and limited drug-loading capacity. There exist new avenues of research such as nanotechnology-based delivery systems
and responsive wound dressings which provide a potential answer to such constraints. On the whole, spray bandages have high
potential as the next generation wound care systems and it is hoped that technology will continue to be enhanced that will increase
their clinical applicability.
Key words: Spray bandage; Advanced wound care; Polymeric wound dressings; Drug delivery systems