Use of a sacral silicone border foam dressing as one component of a pressure ulcer prevention program in an intensive care unit setting

In 2008, patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Danbury Hospital, Danbury, Connecticut, experienced 79 pressure ulcers. As a result, pressure ulcer-prevention interventions were standardized in critical care and medical-surgical units and education was provided to all direct patient care staff about principles of skin care and prevention. Following these efforts, 53 ICU patients developed pressure ulcers in the sacral area in fiscal year 2009, representing a 12.5% incidence for the ICU as compared to a 3.4% overall pressure ulcer incidence for the total hospital. In order to achieve additional reduction in pressure ulcer incidence, we replicated an initiative that called for application of a silicone foam dressing every 3 days to determine its effect on sacral pressure ulcer incidence in the ICU. We found that the use of the dressing further diminished the incidence of sacral pressure ulcers in our patients.