Impact of Sodium-Carboxymethylcellulose Dressings on Real-Time Incidence of Facility Acquired Pressure Ulcers

Introduction: Many institutions perform quarterly evaluations to determine pressure ulcer (PU) prevalence. The latest data from a large scale study¹ shows a facility-acquired prevalence rate on Medical-Surgical units of 4.0%. However, real time incidences (RTI) is more accurate in capturing wide ranges in actual pressure ulcer rates and allow targeted quality improvement interventions², such as managing skin microclimate³ through dressings and surface overlays.

Objective: A prospective case series evaluation of the impact of a sodium Carboxymethylcellulose (Na-CMC) foam dressing* on real time incidence of pressure ulcers on a Medical-Surgical unit.

Method:All patients with a Braden Scale of 18 or less had a Na-CMC dressing placed on the sacral area at time of identified risk. No other changes in usual care (e.g. support surfaces, nutrition, repositioning and incontinence management) were implemented during this time. Real-time incidence data of PU development and PU location was collected.

Outcome:Pre-implementation real-time incidence rates ranged from 0% to 17.2% with an average of 4.3%. Post-implementation rates ranged from 0% to 5.2% with an average of 1.8%.

Conclusion:This evaluation suggests that skin microclimate control using a Na-CMC foam dressing can positively impact facility acquired pressure ulcer rates.  Further study is warranted.