Removable rigid dressings versus soft dressings: a randomized, controlled study with dysvascular, trans-tibial amputees

Abstract

This study compares a standard soft dressing (SSD) with a removable rigid dressing (RRD) in a randomized, controlled trial using 50 dysvascular trans-tibial amputees. Both dressing types were applied immediately post-operatively and were only removed for wound dressing changes. Half the subjects were allocated prospectively by ballot to either the RRD group or the SSD group. There was a strong trend indicating that primary wound healing of the stump occurred almost 2 weeks earlier in subjects using the RRD (RRD = 51.2 days +/- 19.4; SSD = 64.7 days +/- 29.5; P= 0.07; RRD: n =17; SSD: n = 14.) There were no significant differences between the other parameters measured which included time to prosthetic fitting, length of hospital stay, incidence of stump breakdown, and time taken for stump volume to stabilize. The incidence of stump damage due to falls was also recorded, the results indicating that RRDs may protect the new stump from trauma.