High-Frequency Ultrasound: Description of Sacral Tissue Characteristics in Healthy Adults.
Ruth S Burk, Christine M Schubert, Anathea Pepperl and 1 others
PMID 28723853WHAT IT FOUND
Healthy sacral ultrasound ranges varied by scanning position, so serial sacral tissue measurements should be compared only within the same position.
These values come from mostly younger healthy volunteers and are not pressure injury thresholds.
Key findings
01In 50 healthy adults, sacral dermal thickness ranged from 1.21 to 3.76 mm, with average thickness between 2.32 and 2.65 mm.
02Sacral tissue thickness and density differed significantly between prone and side-lying positions, with all p-values less than 0.0001.
03BMI was not significantly associated with sacral dermal thickness in this sample.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was a convenience sample of 50 adults, mostly students, and primarily female and white, so the ranges may not apply to older or more diverse patients. The study did not test people with pressure injury risk or established skin changes, so it does not show how the measurements perform in at-risk patients. Scanning position changed the measurements, and the paper notes differences between prone and side-lying positions. Gender, race, hydration, menstrual cycle, and differences between ultrasound systems were not fully evaluated.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest were declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not use these values as diagnostic thresholds for pressure injury in older or immobilized patients. The study measured healthy volunteers, mostly younger female white university students, and did not test people with or at risk for pressure injury.