A Descriptive View of the Impact of an Air-Assisted Device on Presssure Ulcer Prevention and Healing

There is concern that friction-reducing devices, if left under an immobile patient routinely, will cause pressure ulcers. The objective of this descriptive study involving bed mobility-dependent patients was to examine if leaving a single-patient-use, air-assisted device (AAD) under the participant at all times would increase the risk of pressure ulcers. We also wanted to investigate whether the device would prevent new pressure ulcers and promote the healing of established pressure ulcers. Originally, this study was designed to be a randomized control trial. Due to the smaller than anticipated number of participants and pressure ulcers, there was not sufficient data for a powered analysis. We were able to observe some trends for a descriptive review of the data. Although the sample size is small, the data suggests that continuously leaving an AAD under a patient does not increase the risk of pressure ulcers. This important observation suggests that the device can maintain the safety of our healthcare workers while also maintaining the integrity of our frail patient’s skin.

Deter LL, Kiely DK, White-Chu EF

Keywords: air-assisted device, safe patient handling, pressure ulcer prevention, long-term care