An evaluation of wound closure tapes.

Wound closure tapes are often used to decrease tension on wounds, to close wounds, and to reinforce wounds after suture removal. Seven different brands of wound closure tape, both with and without the additional application of the liquid adhesive Mastisol, were tested for their adhesion to the forearms of 8 volunteers when a 225-gram weight was applied. Steri-Strips with Mastisol had the longest time of adhesiveness, and the application of Mastisol markedly increased the adhesiveness of all 7 tapes evaluated. Only 2 of the 7 tapes, Proxi-Strip and Coverstrip II, showed any significant adhesiveness without Mastisol.