[Experimental study. Reduction of pressure in areas of risk of developing pressure ulcers with a hydrocellular...

The handling of pressure is a basic measure in the prevention and treatment of bed sores. It is possible to reduce and ease pressure by various means including changes in posture, use of special surfaces for handling pressure as well as the use of local applications or external applications which reduce pressure. Today nurses have a large quantity of external applications available to use although only some hydrocellular ones are capable to reduce pressure due to their hydrocellular structure.

An experimental study was designed to calculate the level of pressure before and after applying an Allevyn hydrocellular external application in the area of the sacrum, ischium, and heel of three healthy volunteers; first, Volunteer A, a 85 kg. 170 cm man; second, Volunteer B, a 54.3 kg. 159 cm woman; and third, Volunteer C, a 69.4 kg 164 cm man. Measures were taken on two types of surfaces: a viscoelastic foam mattress and a conventional hospital mattress. All measurements were repeated at 0, 30, 45 and 60 degrees of inclination. Pressure was determined by means of a Talley pressure monitor, Oxford Pressure Monitor MK II.

A total of 144 pressure reading were taken. The overall average reduction after applying a external hydrocellular application on all volunteers, at all inclinations and on all surfaces for each of the three zones were 19.5% in the sacrum, 13.8% in the ischium and 20.15% in the heel.

Even though our study has its limitations, such as young, healthy volunteers, we can establish that the external hydrocellular application studied does have a local reducing effect on pressure. Since every external hydrocellular application has its own specific structure, the results of our study can not be applied with certainty to other external applications inside the hydrocellular group.