Does the use of a cleanser on skin surrounding pressure ulcers in older people promote healing?
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether the use of a skin cleanser on the skin surrounding pressure ulcers helps to promote healing.


METHODS
The study was conducted over a two-year period in patients with stage II or more pressure ulcers. All subjects were at least 65 years of age and resident in a long-term care hospital. During the first year, skin was cleansed with normal saline. In year two, a pH-balanced cleanser was used. The healing times for the two methods were then compared.


RESULTS
Healing time was shorter in the group using the cleanser for every stage of ulcer, with an especially significant difference for stage II ulcers (p=0.002). Analysis using the Cox proportional hazards model found a 1.79-fold improvement in the healing rate of stage II ulcers when the surrounding skin was washed with the cleanser.


CONCLUSIONS
Cleaning the surrounding skin with a cleanser rather than normal saline promotes the healing of pressure ulcers.
Konya
C
C
School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Kanazawa University, Japan. konya@mhs.mp.kanazawa-u.ac.jp
Sanada
H
H
Sugama
J
J
Okuwa
M
M
Kitagawa
A
A
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006801:Humans; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000628:therapy*; D017592:Skin Care / Q000379:methods*; D014945:Wound Healing