Compose or Claripose? Picking the Right Island Dressing
Both are sterile island dressings from Multigate — one breathable non-woven, one transparent and waterproof. Here's how WA clinics choose between them.
An island dressing is the workhorse of post-procedure wound care: an absorbent pad "island" centred on an adhesive border, applied in one motion over a closed wound. We stock two Multigate families that look similar in the drawer but behave quite differently on the patient — here's how to choose.
Compose: the breathable everyday dressing
Compose pairs an Interpose® non-adherent pad with a soft, fluid-repellent non-woven backing that allows the movement of air, held by a low-irritant adhesive border. It's the comfortable, economical choice for routine post-operative wounds, excisions and abrasions where the site should breathe and waterproofing isn't required.
We stock three sizes, all sterile, latex free and individually pouched: 7.5 × 5 cm for small excisions, 8.25 × 6 cm for larger closures, and 12 × 8.25 cm for longer incisions.
Claripose: transparent and waterproof
Claripose puts a non-adherent absorbent pad on a transparent, waterproof adhesive backing that is breathable — high moisture vapour transmission rate (HMVTR) — yet impermeable to liquids, bacteria and viruses. Patients can shower, the wound can be inspected without lifting the dressing, and the flexible film conforms around difficult contours like knuckles and heels.
Choose Claripose when the dressing needs to survive daily life between reviews: 6.5 × 5 cm, 9.5 × 8.5 cm or 12 × 10 cm for longer surgical incisions.
The quick decision rule
- Routine dry post-op wound, cost matters: Compose.
- Patient will shower, or you want to monitor without disturbing: Claripose.
- Heavily exuding wound: neither alone — start with an absorbent combine dressing under retention.
Both families are latex free and supplied sterile in individual pouches, GST-inclusive with 48-hour dispatch across serviced WA areas.