A vented chest wound seal for a penetrating chest wound including a flexible sheet including a bottom surface, and an adhesive layer covering a portion of the bottom surface of the flexible sheet, the adhesive layer including an inner perimeter and an outer perimeter, the inner perimeter defining a chamber, wherein the chamber includes a vent channel extending radially outward from a central portion of the chamber, wherein the flexible sheet includes a vent hole aligned over the vent channel, and wherein the inner perimeter and the outer perimeter are separated by a minimum hydrogel width.