Protect — Healthcare
Guard-Tex is self-adhering tape with zero adhesive. It secures dressings, protects fragile skin, and removes without damage — across every patient population, every unit, every shift. One product replaces a problem that has persisted in healthcare for decades.
Walk any med-surg floor. Count the purple bruises around IV sites. Count the skin tears at dressing edges. Count the patients who flinch before you've touched the tape. Medical adhesive was engineered to bond to intact epidermis — but the patients who need the most taping are the ones whose skin can least tolerate it. Geriatric patients with paper-thin skin. Diabetic patients with peripheral neuropathy masking damage they can't feel. Oncology patients with radiation-thinned tissue. Patients on warfarin, Eliquis, or Xarelto who hemorrhage from the slightest dermal insult.
MARSI — Medical Adhesive-Related Skin Injury — affects up to 15.5% of hospitalized patients. That's not a rare complication. That's a systemic failure embedded in routine care. Skin tears, epidermal stripping, tension blisters, irritant contact dermatitis — all caused by the tape that's supposed to help. Every adhesive dressing change on compromised skin is a calculated risk. And the calculation keeps coming up wrong.
The problem isn't technique. It isn't which brand of medical tape you stock. The problem is adhesive itself — a bonding mechanism that cannot distinguish between the tape backing and the patient's epidermis. As long as adhesive touches skin, MARSI is not a question of "if" but "when."
Zero Adhesive Contact
Guard-Tex self-adhering tape is a woven cotton gauze with a cohesive coating that bonds layer-to-layer when wrapped. No adhesive contacts the patient's skin — ever. The mechanism for MARSI simply does not exist. Secure hold during wear. Instant, painless release at removal.
Guard-Tex isn't a specialty item for one patient type. It's a facility-wide solution that addresses adhesive injury across every unit and every population. The same roll of tape that secures a dressing on a geriatric patient's forearm protects a diabetic patient's shin, retains a compression layer on a cardiac patient's edematous limb, and stabilizes a PT splint on an arthritic hand. One product. One training protocol. Every vulnerable patient covered.
"We switched our entire memory care unit to Guard-Tex. MARSI incidents dropped to zero in the first quarter. Zero. We haven't used adhesive tape on a resident in eight months."— Director of Nursing, 120-bed memory care facility, Midwest
Blood thinner patients. Warfarin, Eliquis, Xarelto, Plavix — anticoagulant therapy makes skin vulnerable to hemorrhage from even minor trauma. Adhesive tape removal causes subcutaneous bleeding, bruising, and hematoma formation. Guard-Tex removes with zero skin traction. No tearing. No bleeding. No extending a patient's suffering to change a dressing.
Diabetic patients. Peripheral neuropathy means diabetic patients often can't feel adhesive damage as it occurs. Reduced circulation slows healing. A skin tear from tape removal on a diabetic foot can take weeks to close — and creates an infection pathway in an already immunocompromised patient. Guard-Tex eliminates the adhesive injury that starts this cascade.
Geriatric and elderly patients. Aging skin loses elasticity, dermal thickness, and moisture retention. Skin tears are the most common wound type in adults over 65. Adhesive tape is the most common cause. Guard-Tex wraps circumferentially, holding dressings through cohesive contact between tape layers — never through skin adhesion. See our full guide to elderly skin tear prevention.
Adhesive-sensitive patients. For patients with adhesive sensitivity, Guard-Tex eliminates the adhesive allergen entirely. Note: Guard-Tex contains natural latex — patients with latex allergies should consult their provider. It contains no adhesive — eliminating one of the most common triggers for contact dermatitis in medical tape. Made from 100% cotton gauze with a cohesive coating.
Radiation and oncology patients. Radiation dermatitis thins the epidermis and makes it acutely sensitive to mechanical stress. Adhesive removal on irradiated skin causes pain, tissue loss, and treatment delays. Guard-Tex secures post-radiation dressings without any mechanical stress to compromised tissue.
How self-adhering tape compares to the adhesive tapes, cohesive wraps, and alternatives commonly stocked in healthcare facilities.
| Feature | Guard-Tex | Medical Adhesive Tape | Coban / Elastic Cohesive | Silicone-Based Tape |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adhesive on skin | ✓ None — zero contact | ✗ Full adhesive bond | ✓ None | ✗ Silicone adhesive |
| MARSI risk | ✓ Eliminated | ✗ 15.5% incidence | ✓ Minimal | Reduced but present |
| Stretch / constriction risk | ✓ Non-stretch — cannot tighten | Non-stretch | ✗ Elastic — can constrict with edema | Non-stretch |
| Material | Woven cotton gauze | Various synthetic / cotton | Synthetic rubber / foam | Various synthetic |
| Breathability | ✓ Cotton — breathes, wicks | Varies | ✗ Traps heat and moisture | Limited |
| Removal pain | ✓ Zero — instant release | ✗ Significant on fragile skin | ✓ None | Low |
| Adhesive remover needed | ✓ Never | ✗ Often required | ✓ No | Sometimes |
| Cost per unit | Low — cotton gauze pricing | Low | Moderate | ✗ High — specialty pricing |
| Safe for overnight / unmonitored | ✓ Yes — fixed tension | Yes | ✗ Risk without monitoring | Yes |
Four steps to replace adhesive tape for at-risk patients across your facility.
Flag patients with adhesive contraindications during intake: elderly or paper-thin skin, anticoagulant therapy (warfarin, Eliquis, Xarelto, Plavix), corticosteroid use, radiation dermatitis, diabetes-related fragility, latex allergy, or any history of MARSI. These patients transition immediately to Guard-Tex for all dressing retention and taping needs.
Pro tip: Add "adhesive risk" as a standard intake assessment — most facilities undercount MARSI because it's accepted as routine.Apply the primary dressing as normal — gauze, ABD pad, non-adherent dressing, or transparent film. Instead of securing with adhesive tape, place the leading edge of Guard-Tex over the dressing and wrap circumferentially around the limb or body part. Two to three overlapping passes creates secure cohesive retention. The tape bonds to itself through each layer.
Pro tip: For digit dressings, a single spiral wrap from mid-finger to base provides full retention without adhesive.Dressing retention: Circumferential wrap over any primary dressing. Compression alternative: Non-stretch wrapping at consistent tension — cannot tighten with edema, safe for unmonitored use. Buddy taping: Splint injured digits with Guard-Tex padding between them. PT / OT: Stabilize joint supports, anchor resistance bands, wrap post-surgical hand therapy splints. IV security: Wrap over transparent dressings to add retention without additional adhesive stress on insertion sites.
Pro tip: Train CNAs and nursing aides — Guard-Tex technique is simpler than adhesive tape and eliminates the leading cause of aide-inflicted skin injury.Unwrap or cut Guard-Tex away at dressing change — it releases instantly with zero skin traction. No adhesive remover needed. No skin tears. Document MARSI incidents (or their absence) as part of your quality improvement metrics. Most facilities see measurable reduction within the first 30 days of implementation.
Pro tip: Photograph skin condition at dressing changes for the first 90 days to build before/after documentation for your QI committee.
Most Popular for Healthcare
Standard clinical width. Woven cotton gauze, self-adhering, non-stretch. Ideal for dressing retention, digit wrapping, and compression alternatives. Available in 12-pack and case quantities for facility stocking.
Shop Now Wholesale Pricing"Our MARSI tracking went from 8-12 incidents per quarter to zero after we switched our geriatric unit to Guard-Tex. The residents don't flinch at dressing changes anymore. That alone was worth the change."— Wound Care Nurse, Long-Term Care Facility
"I have six patients on Xarelto and every one of them was bruising from tape removal. Guard-Tex eliminated the problem entirely. I keep a roll in every home health bag now."— Home Health RN, 14 years
"In PT, we retape joints multiple times per session. Adhesive tape leaves residue, pulls hair, irritates skin. Guard-Tex repositions cleanly every time. My arthritis patients especially appreciate it — their skin is already compromised from medication."— Physical Therapist, Outpatient Rehabilitation
"We trialed Guard-Tex in our memory care unit because residents with dementia pull at adhesive tape — it irritates them. Guard-Tex feels like soft fabric against skin, so they leave it alone. Fewer disrupted dressings, fewer reapplications, fewer incidents."— Director of Nursing, Memory Care Community
Dressing retention — the core use. Guard-Tex replaces adhesive tape for securing any primary wound dressing. Circumferential wrapping provides reliable hold through patient movement, bathing, and sleep. It performs identically to adhesive tape in retention strength while eliminating every adhesive-related complication. Works with gauze, ABD pads, non-adherent dressings, hydrocolloids, and foam dressings.
Adhesive-free bandaging. For patients who need wound coverage but cannot tolerate any adhesive — post-radiation, severe dermatitis, repeated dressing changes on the same site — Guard-Tex provides a complete bandaging system with zero adhesive contact. The tape itself becomes the outer retention layer, and the cotton gauze construction breathes and wicks moisture away from the wound bed.
Non-stretch compression alternative. When elastic compression wraps like Coban present a constriction risk — cardiac patients with fluctuating edema, post-surgical limbs, patients in unmonitored settings — Guard-Tex provides retention at fixed tension. It cannot tighten because it does not stretch. This makes it safe for overnight applications, memory care settings, and home health situations where continuous monitoring is not available.
Physical and occupational therapy. PT and OT clinicians retape patients multiple times per session. Adhesive tape accumulates residue, irritates skin, and causes cumulative damage across daily therapy sessions. Guard-Tex repositions without residue, stabilizes buddy-tape splints, anchors resistance bands, and wraps post-surgical hand therapy supports — all without adhesive buildup. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis, post-stroke contractures, and surgical hand injuries benefit from tape that protects rather than damages already-compromised skin.
Tape removal without skin damage. In facilities that haven't fully transitioned away from adhesive tape, Guard-Tex serves as the removal-safe alternative for patients flagged as high-risk. It can also be used as a skin-protective underlayer beneath adhesive tape — a cotton gauze barrier that prevents adhesive from contacting skin directly. See our nursing-specific protocol.
MARSI — Medical Adhesive-Related Skin Injury — includes skin tears, epidermal stripping, tension blisters, and irritant contact dermatitis caused by medical tape adhesive. It affects up to 15.5% of hospitalized patients. Guard-Tex prevents MARSI entirely because it contains zero adhesive. It bonds only to itself, so there is no mechanism for adhesive-related skin damage.
Yes. Patients on anticoagulants like warfarin, Eliquis, or Xarelto bruise easily and bleed from minor skin trauma — including adhesive tape removal. Guard-Tex eliminates that risk entirely because it never contacts skin with adhesive. Removal causes zero traction, zero skin tears, and zero subcutaneous bleeding.
Guard-Tex is a non-stretch alternative to elastic cohesive wraps. Unlike Coban, it cannot tighten with edema changes — making it safer for unmonitored patients, overnight applications, and settings where neurovascular checks are not continuous. It provides secure retention at fixed tension without the constriction risk of elastic wraps.
Yes. Diabetic skin is often fragile due to peripheral neuropathy, reduced circulation, and medication effects. Guard-Tex contains zero adhesive and the cotton gauze construction breathes and wicks moisture, reducing maceration risk around wound sites.
Guard-Tex is made from 100% cotton gauze with a cohesive coating. It contains natural latex in its cohesive coating. Patients with latex allergies should consult their healthcare provider before use.
Physical and occupational therapists use Guard-Tex for buddy taping, joint stabilization, resistance band anchoring, and post-surgical hand therapy splinting. The self-adhering bond allows repositioning during therapy sessions without adhesive residue buildup.
Protect every patient. Stock Guard-Tex facility-wide.
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