Bates-Jensen BM, McCreath HE, Pongquan V, Apeles NC, et al.
Wound repair and regeneration : official publication of the Wound Healing Society [and] the Eur.... Date of publication 2008 Mar 1;volume 16(2):189-97.
1. Wound Repair Regen. 2008 Mar-Apr;16(2):189-97. doi:
10.1111/j.1524-475X.2008.00359.x.
Subepidermal moisture differentiates erythema and stage I pressure ulcers in
nursing home residents.
Bates-Jensen BM(1), McCreath HE, Pongquan V, Apeles NC.
Author information:
(1)School of Nursing, UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90095-6919, USA.
bbatesjensen@sonnet.ucla.edu
The objective of this descriptive cohort study was to examine the relationship
between subepidermal moisture (SEM) and visual assessment of early pressure
ulcers (PUs) in 31 nursing home (NH) residents residing in two NHs. Concurrent
visual assessments and SEM were obtained at the sacrum, right and left
trochanters, buttocks, and ischium weekly for 20 weeks. Visual assessment was
rated as normal, erythema, stage I PU, or stage II+ PU. SEM, measured with a
dermal phase meter where higher readings indicate greater SEM (range: 0-999
dermal phase units [DPU]), was modeled as a predictor of concurrent visual
assessment of skin damage and erythema and stage I PUs at the sacrum 1 week
later with covariate PU risk. Participants had a mean age of 84.1 years, were
83% female, 72% non-Hispanic white. SEM was lowest for normal skin (104 DPU, SD
114), higher for erythema (185 DPU, SD 138), stage I PUs (264 DPU, SD 208), and
highest for stage II+ PUs (727 DPU, SD 287) across all sites (all p<0.01). SEM
was responsive to visual assessment changes, differentiated between erythema and
stage I PU, and higher SEM predicted greater likelihood of erythema/stage I PU
at the sacrum the next week (odds ratio=1.32 for every 100 DPU increase,
p=0.03). SEM was associated with concurrent skin damage and future (1 week
later) development of sacral erythema/stage I PUs. SEM differentiates between
erythema and stage I PUs. SEM may assist in predicting early PU damage, allowing
for earlier intervention to prevent PUs.
DOI: 10.1111/j.1524-475X.2008.00359.x
PMID: 18318804 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
