Vented wound dressing

A wound dressing (10) comprising a base sheet having an opening (16) for placement over the wound; a vent sheet (20) providing controlled leakage of fluid along a path from the wound through the opening of the base sheet (14); and a chamber containing a fabric reservoir (44) for receiving and retaining the wound fluid, the walls defining the chamber being constructed so as to provide a complete barrier to bacteria and other external contaminants while at the same time permitting egress of air from the voids or interstices of the fabric reservoir, so as to optimize the wicking and amount of wound fluid which can be retained in the volume provided by the fabric reservoir.