The invention discloses an application of hydroxyethyl starch to preparation of a wound dressing. The wound dressing is prepared from hydroxyethyl starch and a dressing carrier, wherein the hydroxyethyl starch is a product prepared by substituting corn starch containing a branch-chain with ethoxy, wherein the molecular weight is 10,000Da to 70,000Da. The wound dressing prepared with the hydroxyethyl starch has larger specific surface area, high porosity, and can be used for absorbing seepage on the wound; wound dressing can be combined through a coordination bond after absorbing water to builda network-staggered structure with extremely high crosslink degree, so that high viscosity and flexibility are achieved; a moist and micro-acid environment can be provided, local sterilizing performance is enhanced, anti-bacteria effect is durable, infection rate is lowered, the dosage of the antibiotic is lowered, the healing of the wound is facilitated, postoperative tissue adhesion is avoided;the hydroxyethyl starch has high biocompatibility, can be degraded effectively in a living body, is wide in application range, is low in production cost, and can be used for lowering medical cost.