Effects of Hydrotherapy on Pressure Ulcer Healing.Effects of Hydrotherapy hydrotherapy, use of water in the treatment of illness or injury. Although the medicinal and hygienic value of water was recognized by the early Greeks, hydrotherapy attained its widest use in the 18th and 19th cent. on Pressure Ulcer Pressure ulcer Also known as a decubitus ulcer, pressure ulcers are open wounds that form whenever prolonged pressure is applied to skin covering bony outcrops of the body. Patients who are bedridden are at risk of developing pressure ulcers. Healing Burke DT, Ho H-K H-K Hunter-Killer , Saucier MA, Stewart G (Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is one of the graduate schools of Harvard University. It is a prestigious American medical school located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. , Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation physical medicine and rehabilitation or physiatry or physical therapy or rehabilitation medicine Medical specialty treating chronic disabilities through physical means to help patients return to a comfortable, productive life despite a medical , Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital is a rehabilitation hospital located in Boston, Massachusetts. It is affiliated with the Harvard Medical School. External link Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Network , Boston, Mass; Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Ochsner Foundation Hospital and Tulane University, New Orleans, La), Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 1998;77:394-398. This study investigated the effects of whirlpool treatment on the healing of grade III or grade IV pressure ulcers. Forty-two non-infected pressure ulcers from 18 subjects with multiple wounds were studied. The authors randomly assigned 18 of the ulcers to group A (conservative treatment) and 24 of the ulcers to group B (conservative and whirlpool treatment). Prior to data collection, all wounds were graded for severity, debrided as necessary, irrigated, and dressed with 4 x 4 pads soaked in normal saline normal saline Physiologic saline solution, see there . Conservative treatment consisted of dressing changes 2 times per day and when the dressing was soiled. The dressing was first soaked in normal saline to avoid a wet-to-dry type of dressing change. Subjects in group B received standard conservative treatment and whirlpool therapy once per Clay for 20 minutes at 96 [degrees] F to 98 [degrees] F with the agitator ag·i·ta·tor n. 1. One who agitates, especially one who engages in political agitation. 2. An apparatus that shakes or stirs, as in a washing machine. Noun 1. directed away from the ulcers. In addition, pressure relief measures were instituted for all subjects. Wounds were assessed by another investigator who did not know the treatment group assignment. They were evaluated for color, height, width, and depth. The wounds were included in the study only if they had at least 2 weeks of follow-up. To calculate differences in the rate of healing between groups, the height and width of the wounds were added and then divided by the number of weeks to determine changes in the wound area over time. A t test was used to determine differences between group A and group B. Results of the t tests revealed that group B had superior wound healing in comparison to group A. In the conservative treatment group (group A), 5 of the 18 wounds improved, 11 wounds deteriorated, and 2 wounds showed no change. In the conservative and whirlpool therapies group (group B), 24 wounds improved, 9 wounds deteriorated, and 1 wound showed no change. Based on their findings, the authors inferred that daily use of whirlpool treatment along with conservative treatment improved the healing rate of pressure ulcers. Teresa M Miller, PT State University of New York at Brooklyn Brooklyn, NY |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion