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Increasing heel skin perfusion by elevation.

Jacqueline Huber1, Raj Reddy, Tom Pitham

  • 1Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Advances in Skin & Wound Care
|December 25, 2007
PubMed
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Heel elevation significantly increases blood flow, preventing pressure ulcers. This technique alleviates tissue hypoxia and should be standard practice in healthcare for pressure ulcer prevention and treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Wound Care
  • Vascular Physiology

Background:

  • Pressure ulcers are a significant healthcare concern, particularly for individuals with impaired mobility or vascular conditions.
  • Maintaining adequate tissue perfusion is crucial for preventing tissue damage and ulcer formation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of a novel elevating prosthesis in enhancing heel tissue perfusion.
  • To compare the effectiveness of heel elevation against standard support surfaces in preventing pressure ulcers.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective study was conducted at Wollongong Hospital involving healthy subjects and those with vasculopathy.
  • Participants' heels were rested on a hospital bed, lamb's wool, or viscoelastic gel, with and without an elevating prosthesis.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Skin perfusion was continuously monitored using a laser Doppler monitor.

    • Main Results:

    • Heel elevation using the prosthesis resulted in significantly greater tissue perfusion compared to other support surfaces.
    • Red blood cell flux increased dramatically across all conditions, indicating reactive hyperemia and alleviation of tissue hypoxia (P < .0001 to P < .01).

    Conclusions:

    • Heel elevation substantially increases tissue perfusion, effectively alleviating tissue hypoxia.
    • The use of an elevating prosthesis is a valuable technique for the primary prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers.
    • Incorporating heel elevation into healthcare practices is recommended for improved patient outcomes.