Technology and product reviews Page Points
1. The test dressing was applied to the wounds while in theatre and, unless
considered necessary were not removed until the fourth post-operative day
2. Most nurses found the test dressing very easy to remove.
References 10 Koval KJ, Egol KA, Polatsch MA,
Baskies MA, Homman JP, Hiebert, RN. Tape blisters following hip surgery. J
Bone Joint Surg Am 2003; 85: 1884–87. 11 Cosker T, Elsayed S, Gupta S,
Mendonca AD, Tayton KJJ. Choice of dressing has a major impact on blistering and healing outcomes in orthopaedic patients. J Wound Care 2005; 14(1): 27–29.
12 Ravenscroft MJ, Harker J, Buch KA. A prospective, randomised, controlled trial comparing wound dressings used in hip and knee surgery: Aquacel and Tegaderm versus Cutiplast. Ann R Coll Surg Engl 2006; 88: 18–22.
13 Clarke JV, Deakin AH, Dillon JM, Emmerson S, Kinninmonth, AWG. A prospective clinical audit of a
new dressing design for lower limb arthroplasty wounds. J Wound Care 2009; 18(1): 5–11.
14 Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare. 2010; Available at:
http://192.137.163.49/sdb/ope/val. aspx (accessed May 3, 2012)
15 Khan RJ, Fick D, Yao F, et al. A comparison of three methods of
wound closure following arthroplasty: a prospective, randomised, controlled trial. J Bone Joint Surg Br 2006; 88-B(2): 238–242.
16White R. Evidence for atraumatic soft silicone wound dressing use. Wounds UK 2005; 4(1): 14–22.
17 Pukki T, Tikkanen M, Halonen S.
Assessing Mepilex® Border in post- operative wound care. Wounds UK 2010; 6(1): 30–40.
18Meaume S, Van De Looverbosch, D, Heyman, H, Romanelli, M, Ciangherotti A, Charpin S. A study to compare a new self-adherent soft silicone
dressing with a self-adherent polymer dressing in stage II pressure ulcers. Ostomy Wound Management 2003; 49(9): 44–51.
Saturated Bad adhesion Leakage Other
Saturated and leakage
Figure 4: Correlation between early dressing change and wound exudate level (from the 31 of the 117 patients for whom dressing changes were undertaken earlier than planned).
100 80 60 40 20 0
Very easy Easy Figure 5: The ease of removal of Mepilex Border
and 87.2%, respectively, of the patients they had treated. In just four patients the nurses considered the overall assessment of the dressing to be satisfactory (3.4%) [Fig 8].
DISCUSSION This study set out to assess the effectiveness of the test dressing in preventing post- operative skin blisters following hip and knee arthroplasty. As stated previously, post-operative blistering is a common complication of surgical wounds, especially in the orthopaedic setting, and the importance of selecting wound dressings to minimise
32 Wounds International Vol 3 | Issue 2 | ©Wounds International 2012
the risk of blisters developing cannot be over emphasised. In this study, a zero incidence of skin
blisters was observed in the 117 patients who participated. This is an extremely positive outcome, especially since it includes the 7% of patients who were reported as having fragile skin prior to surgery. Patients with pre-operative skin trauma can exhibit a greater tendency to experience wound healing problems, eg dressing-related skin stripping, irritation and sensitisation. While it is impossible to offer a conclusive
explanation for this result, the high flexibility of the test dressing is likely to
Satisfactory Hard Very hard
20 15
10 5 0
Percentage of patients
Percentage of patients high
medium low
high
medium low
high
medium low
high
medium low
high
medium low
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