Influence of support surfaces on the distribution of body interface pressure in surgical positioning.
Karoline Faria de Oliveira, Patrícia da Silva Pires, Ana Lúcia De-Mattia and 4 others
PMID 30517574WHAT IT FOUND
In 20 healthy volunteers, foam surfaces lowered peak pressure on bony prominences compared with the standard operating table, while the viscoelastic polymer was higher; D33 sealed and D18 soft were lowest.
Key findings
01Mean peak interface pressure was higher on the viscoelastic polymer surface than on other materials and the standard operating table.
02D33 sealed foam and D18 soft foam produced lower mean peak interface pressure than the other tested surfaces and the standard operating table.
03Nutritional status did not significantly affect mean peak interface pressure (p=0.87).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study used 20 healthy volunteers, not surgical patients, so anesthesia, clinical status, operative fields and surgical manipulation were absent. Most participants were women (90%), and fat distribution may influence interface pressure. Participants were convenience volunteers from a university community, not a random or representative patient sample. Interface pressure was used as a risk criterion, not as a patient outcome such as pressure ulcers. No accepted interface pressure threshold exists; the study adopted 32 mmHg capillary refill pressure as a criterion.
Declared interests
The article was extracted from a doctoral dissertation. It was supported by CNPq and financed in part by CAPES, public research agencies. The supplied conflicts section does not state a commercial sponsor or conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read lower interface pressure as proof that foam surfaces prevent pressure ulcers in surgical patients. The study measured pressure on 20 healthy volunteers, not on surgical patients under anesthesia.