Retrospective Evaluation of a New Silicone Faced Sacral Foam Dressing for Pressure Injury Prevention

Per the new NPUAP guidelines, a pressure injury defined as localized damage to the skin and/or underlying soft tissue usually over a bony prominence or related to a medical or other device resulting from intense and/or prolonged pressure or pressure in combination with shear. The tolerance of soft tissue for pressure and shear may also be affected by microclimate, nutrition, perfusion, co-morbidities and condition of the soft tissue. There are a number of interrelated factors that may significantly impact a patient’s pressure injury risk.  One major contributor in predicting PI risk is the microclimate (temperature and humidity) present between the skin-bed/dressing/clothing interface. In addition to temperature and humidity, shear stress and friction are also two important factors to consider. Due to the positioning of the patient, the sacral area is under the largest amount of stress from both friction and shear. Studies have shown that multi-layer dressings can provide additional features to promote microclimate control via temperature management, relative humidity and moisture absorption, and resistance to friction and shear stress. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a new silicone faced sacral foam dressing * for pressure injury prevention. The silicone faced foam dressing was applied onto patients at high risk for pressure injury determined by their Braden score. Pressure injury data was then collected to determine the effectiveness of the new silicone faced foam dressing.