title: Pressure ulcer prevention in intensive care - a randomised control trial of two pressure-relieving devices.
abstract: Pressure sores are a potential complication of intensive care. Modern methods of pressure sore prevention centre around the use of pressure-relieving devices. Few studies exist that confirm the effectiveness of these devices. This study evaluates the effectiveness of two devices, the Hill-Rom Duo mattress and the KCI TheraPulse. High-risk patients were randomly assigned to receive one of two devices. We excluded those patients who had pressure sores upon admission. Those patients that did develop a pressure sore had their wound digitally photographed and graded by two independent tissue viability nurses. Sixty-two patients were included (30 TheraPulse, 32 Duo. Nine developed a pressure sore (6 Duo, 3 TheraPulse). No statistical differences between the two devices could be found. The longer a patient was nursed on a device, the greater the risk of pressure sore development. Despite the use of these devices, pressure sores can still develop in the Intensive Care patient population.
authors.affiliation: Intensive Care Unit, Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, 369 Fulham Road, London, SW10 9NH, UK. cbtheaker@hotmail.com
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Theaker
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuper
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Soni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001513:Beds; D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome