Swabs
Sterile swabs go directly on the wound; non-sterile ones in bulk packs are used for cleaning and padding — the same material, different packaging and a different price.
Nonwoven swabs in four sizes from Vitri, Embra and Selefa. Sterile in individual envelopes for the medical bag and non-sterile in packs of 140–150 for the first aid station and the workshop.
Swabs — all products
Frequently asked questions about swabs
When does the swab need to be sterile?
When it is going to lie directly on an open wound surface. Then the individual packaging is the whole point — a swab that has been loose in a pouch or in an opened bulk pack no longer counts as sterile, whatever it was to begin with. For everything else, non-sterile is enough.
What do 4L and non-woven mean?
Non-woven is a fibre material that is not woven, so the edges do not fray and the swab sheds less lint than traditional woven gauze. The number gives the number of layers in the swab — more layers give more absorbency and a stiffer swab that holds its shape better.
Which size gets used most?
10 × 10 cm in most organisations, with 5 × 5 cm in second place for punctures and small wounds. If you only have room for one size in a carried kit, take 10 × 10 — it can be folded to cover a smaller area, whereas a small swab cannot be made bigger.
Are bulk packs worth it?
Yes, for the non-sterile material. A pack of 150 swabs costs considerably less per piece than single packs and lasts a long time in storage. For sterile swabs it is the packaging that does the job, so need rather than price per piece should decide.