title: A comparative study of an alternating air mattress for the prevention of pressure ulcers in surgical patients.
abstract: Research indicates that 8.5% of all patients undergoing surgical procedures for more than 3 hours develop pressure ulcers. In some types of surgery, incidence rates in excess of 25% have been reported. An 11-month study was conducted on the safety and efficacy of an experimental alternating air device in comparison with a tertiary care facility's conventional practice. A series of 217 patients undergoing surgical procedures scheduled for a minimum of 3 hours were enrolled. No ulcers developed in the experimental group and 11 ulcers developed in seven patients in the control group (8.75% incidence rate). Of the 11 ulcers, one was Stage I, four were Stage II, and six were unstageable secondary to eschar. The difference between the groups is significant at the P = 0.005 level. Individuals who developed ulcers had a length of stay approximately 7 days longer than the hospital average for comparable patients who did not develop ulcers.
authors.affiliation: Albany Medical Center, NY, USA.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Aronovitch
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wilber
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Slezak
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Utter
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000388:Air; D001513:Beds / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000451:nursing / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000209:etiology / Q000451:nursing / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors