Assessing Static Air Device in Mitigating Pressure Injuries: An Observation Retrospective Study

Area of Science:

• Medical Rehabilitation
• Wound Care
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Pressure injuries (PIs) are a significant concern in rehabilitation, particularly for spinal cord injury (SCI) patients.
• Health care-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) of the foot, heel, or ankle (FHA) present unique challenges in this population.
• Traditional offloading devices may have limitations in preventing and treating PIs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of static air devices (SADs) in preventing worsening PIs and development of FHA-HAPIs in SCI patients.
• To compare the effectiveness of SADs against traditional offloading methods.
• To test the hypothesis that SADs reduce HAPI incidence and improve existing PI healing.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective observational cohort study design.
• Analysis of 12 months of data with existing protocols and 6 months post-implementation of SADs.
• Comparative analysis of HAPI rates per patient day and PI status (same or worsened).

Main Results:

• Implementation of SADs led to a significant reduction in FHA pressure injury incidence.
• SADs demonstrated an improvement in HAPI rates per patient day.
• Prevention of worsening for existing PIs present on admission was observed with SAD use.

Conclusions:

• Static air devices (SADs) are beneficial for preventing and treating FHA PIs in the SCI population.
• SADs show promise in improving outcomes compared to traditional offloading devices.
• Continued exploration of advanced devices like SADs is crucial for PI prevention in rehabilitation nursing.