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Objective: Evaluate a foam dressing as part of pressure ulcer prevention plan.
Pressure ulcer-related hospital admissions among adults in the US increased nearly 80% between 1993 and 2006, while the total number of hospitalizations increased by only 15% (1). This increase in what is considered a preventable event led the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), in 2007, and many state and private insurers, to no longer pay for additional costs associated with hospital-acquired stage 3 and 4 pressure ulcers (2).
In an effort to reduce the incidence of pressure ulcers among high risk patients, many clinicians are investigating interventions to enhance existing prevention plans. A specific hydrocellular foam dressing has been identified in eleven studies, to reduce pressure. One 8-week, multi-center study, comparing another bandage techique with the foam dressing, demonstrated a 44% incidence in heel pressure ulcers with the other bandage and 3.3% incidence among those using the hydrocellular foam (3).
Based upon this collection of evidence, nurses from five regional medical center and/or trauma center ICUs, representing the west coast, northeast, central and southern United States, evaluated a silicone adhesive hydrocelluar foam dressing as part of a comprehensive pressure ulcer prevention plan. The ICUs continued their routine pressure ulcer prevention and applied the silicone adhesive hydrocellular foam dressing to the sacro/coccyx area of their patients, based upon their own risk criteria. No other new interventions were initiated during this evaluation.
Preliminary results, from 115 patients, demonstrated an average length of stay of 5.9 days, with an average dressing wear time of 3.6 days. None of the patients in the evaluation experienced skin breakdown. This initial evaluation suggests that the use of the silicone adhesive hydrocellular foam dressing can play a significant role as part of an comprehensive pressure ulcer prevention plan.