WHY OR TABLE SURFACES MATTER

Healthcare professionals are implementing new prevention initiatives and standards for pressure ulcer prevention.

From a surge in recent research pertaining to pressure ulcers, to the Medicare Guidelines that took effect in October 2008, the issue of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers is a popular topic for many healthcare professionals. Additionally, professional organizations like AORN and NPUAP are critical to advancing awareness of the issue through their release of new standards and practices to help prevent and treat hospital-acquired pressure ulcers.

Some new findings and statistics reinforce the need for multi-layer foam surfaces in the Operating Room environment, where an estimated 23% of pressure ulcers in the hospital originate.1,3
  • Static surfaces increase surface support areas and decrease pressures and shear forces.4
  • Old-fashioned “egg crate” mattresses offer no advantage.4
  • A study of 1,128 surgical patients, revealed the incidence of nosocomial pressure ulcers related to the operating room (OR) was 23%.5
  • A multi-layer pressure redistribution surface was found to be statistically significant in reducing pressure ulcer incidence when compared with the “Standard” OR table pad.5
  • Surgical patients account for 42% of all hospital-acquired pressure ulcers; the most common location is the heel.7
  • In an experiment involving 323 patients between 2000 and 2004, 38% of patients who had the standard pad during surgery developed the sores. But only 7% of patients who had the pressure-relieving pad developed pressure ulcers.7
  • Various studies have suggested that pressure ulcers may occur within a 1 to 4 hour time frame, well within the range of current surgical procedures.6
  

RECENT INDUSTRY NEWS

Bedsores can be prevented with regular monitoring
pennlive.com | June 14, 2011


NHS: The 25 Blunders Hospitals Must Not Make
Sky News | February 24, 2011


Adult-home operator pleads not guilty in death
Seattle Times | February 25, 2011


Treating a Hidden Problem: Pressure Ulcers, aka Bedsores
anewscafe.com | February 15, 2011

 

A multi-layer pressure redistribution surface was found to be statistically significant in reducing pressure ulcer incidence when compared with the “Standard” OR table pad.

  
Study of a Multi-Layer Pressure Relief Pad in the Operating Room (OR) University of Tennessee Health Science Center





1. Aronovitch SA. ly acquired pressure ulcer prevalence: a national study. J Wound Ostomy Continence Nurs. 1999;26(3):130-136
2. Beckrich K, Aronovitch SA. Hospital-acquired pressure ulcers: a comparison of costs in medical vs. surgical patients. Nurs Econ. 1999;17(5):263-71
3. Stotts N. Predicting pressure ulcer development in surgical patients. Heart and Lung. 1988;17(6):641-6
4. Pressure Ulcers (Pressure sores; Bedsores; Decubitus Ulcers; Decubiti). The Merck Manuals, Online Medical Library. Available at: http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec10/ch126/ch126a.html
5. Lummus AC. Perioperative Pressure Ulcer Assessment and Prevention: Efficacy Study of a Multi-Layer Pressure Relief Pad in the Operating Room (OR). University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
6. Baron S, MacFarlane G. Reducing Pressure Ulcer Risk In The Operating Room. White Paper. 2009. Allen Medical Systems, D-770444-A2.
7. Scott-Williams S. Perioperative Pressure Ulcer Prevention Program (PPUPP): An innovative effort to prevent pressure ulcers in surgical patients. American Academy of Nursing. Http://www.aannet.org/files/public/PPUPP_template.pdf