Sacral skin blood flow response to alternating pressure operating room overlay

Abstract Pressure injuries resulting from long surgeries may be caused by prolonged ischemia. Operating table surfaces with alternating pressure (AP) features may reduce the risk of ischemia-induced pressure injuries by providing periodic relief of blood flow occlusions. Prior research investigated alternating loading applied with a single isolated rigid indenter and demonstrated increased perfusion. This study quantified effects of an overlay with AP on sacral skin perfusion for individuals lying supine for 60-min while blood flow was monitored. The mean normalized sacral skin blood flow was found to be greater with the AP overlay over an operating table pad compared to the operating pad alone (pad with AP mean SBF = 1.45 ± 1.16, pad without AP mean SBF = 1.03 ± 0.46, p = 0.10). Peak and average interface pressure at the sacrum was significantly lower during the deflation cycle of the AP surface compared to the operating pad alone (P