Pressure Distribution Properties in Wound Dressings Using Heel and Sacrum Indenters Under Clinically Relevant Loads.

This was bench testing on model indenters, not a study of patients, so it cannot show that dressings prevent pressure injuries. The models did not represent all soft tissue layers, stiffness changes from scars or edema, patient factors, mattress type, moisture or microclimate, and internal shear forces. Only dry conditions and fixed sacral and heel loads were tested. There is no standardized wound dressing pressure test, so comparisons depend on this custom setup. Convatec funded the study in full, an author is employed by Convatec, and the tested dressings include Convatec products.

This work was supported in full by Convatec with an unrestricted grant. The authors state no known financial conflicts, but an author is employed as a Senior Design Scientist at Convatec. All testing and data analysis were carried out at EC-Service, an independent laboratory, with support from an unrestricted grant provided by Convatec.

Do not read this as proof that any dressing prevents pressure injuries in patients. It measured pressure on model indenters only. It did not include soft tissue layers, edema, scars, patient factors, mattress type, moisture, internal shear, or clinical outcomes. A manufacturer of some tested dressings funded the study.