Surgical hip dressings: a comparison of taping methods.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the effectiveness of two methods of preventing blister formation under the taped portion of postoperative hip surgical dressings.


METHODS
Comparative intervention study.


METHODS
Convenience sample of 148 consecutive hip surgery patients in two Connecticut community hospitals.


METHODS
Patients were preoperatively assigned to one of two postoperative surgical hip dressing taping methods or to the control group. The experimental group had the surgical dressing taped to either a hydrocolloid barrier or a nonhydrocolloid barrier 1-inch circumferentially around the surgical incision with the control group having the dressing taped directly to the skin.


RESULTS
The research results found that taping the surgical dressing to a hydrocolloid barrier prevented blister formation. There were no blisters in either experimental group, but evidence of nonblanchable erythema on two patients in the nonhydrocolloid barrier group.


CONCLUSIONS
Taping of postoperative surgical hip dressings to a hydrocolloid barrier is superior to taping directly to skin or to a nonhydrocolloid barrier.


CONCLUSIONS
A larger scale study to examine potential factors that might place patients at high risk for blister formation is needed. This would aid in identification of patients that would benefit from different surgical dressing taping methods.
Milne
C T
CT
Bristol Hospital, Connecticut, USA.
Barrere
C C
CC
McLaughlin
T
T
Moore
A
A
D000269:Adhesives / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019644:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip / Q000451:nursing; D001458:Bandages; D047070:Bandages, Hydrocolloid; D001768:Blister / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015400:Clinical Nursing Research; D003102:Colloids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*
D000269:Adhesives; D003102:Colloids