In Vitro Characterization of Pressure Redistribution Among Commercially Available Wound Dressings.

Objective Recent clinical evidence has suggested that certain wound dressings may play a significant role in protocols to prevent or reduce pressure injury in patients at risk by modifying the pressure, friction and shear forces that can contribute to the development of pressure injury. The aim of this study is to investigate the pressure reduction properties of commercially available wound dressings in vitro. Methods Using a standardized protocol (1.7 kg, 7.5 cm sphere), testing was performed in a controlled environment by the same clinician using a pressure mapping device (XSENSOR LX205; XSENSOR Technology Corporation, Calgary, Canada) to measure and compare the pressure force mitigation properties in a variety of wound dressings. Results A total of 13 different commercial dressings were tested in triplicates for changes in pressure redistribution as compared to that of the control. The oxygenated composite foam (50.33 ± 1.45 mm Hg) dressing demonstrated the greatest reduction of pressure forces compared to the control (302.7 ± 0.33 mm Hg) and the greatest surface area of all the study dressings tested. There was a negative correlation (R2 = 0.73) between average pressure distribution of the wound dressing and the contact area. The peak pressure for the oxygenated composite foam (P ≤ .05) was significantly different from all other commercially available wound dressings tested. Conclusions A novel oxygenated composite dressing provided superior pressure redistribution and significantly reduced peak pressure in this study when compared to the currently available standard foam and silicone dressings that are being marketed for the purpose of pressure ulcer prevention.