Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Mar 1;8(1):45-49.
doi: 10.15171/jcs.2019.007. eCollection 2019 Mar.

Effectiveness of Tragacanth Gel Cushions in Prevention of Pressure Ulcer in Traumatic Patients: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Javad Shakibamehr  1 , Mojtaba Rad  1 , Rahim Akrami  2 , Mostafa Rad  3
Affiliations

Effectiveness of Tragacanth Gel Cushions in Prevention of Pressure Ulcer in Traumatic Patients: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Javad Shakibamehr et al. J Caring Sci. .

Abstract

Introduction: Introduction: Pressure ulcer is one of the most common and painful complications in patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). This study aimed to compare the effects of tragacanth gel cushions and foam-filled ones on the prevention of pressure ulcers. Methods: This triple-blind, randomized, clinical trial was performed on 94 patients admitted to the ICU of Taleqhani Hospital of Mashhad, Iran. The participants were divided into two groups of tragacanth gel pad and foam (n=47 for each group). Both groups received all the routine care. The participants were examined on a daily basis during a ten-day period. We considered sacral region as the most affected site, and the patients with erythema were excluded from the study. To analyze the data, Chi-squared test, Fisher's exact test, and t-test were run, using Stata version 12. Results: The data showed significant differences in terms of the incidence of skin redness in the tragacanth gel cushions group and foam cushion group, respectively, 6.84 (1.58) and 5.67 (1.26) days after admission. In addition, in the tragacanth gel cushions group 14 patients (29.7%) did not have skin redness compared with the foam cushion group (8.51%), which indicated a significant difference. Conclusion: This study showed that the use of tragacanth gel cushion is effective in the prevention of pressure ulcers in ICU patients. Cushions filled with tragacanth gel also delayed the onset of erythema. Considering their cost-effectiveness and naturalness, the use of tragacanth gel cushions is recommended to improve the sacral skin health and prevent pressure ulcers.

Keywords: Intensive care unit; Pressure ulcers; Prevention and control.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Chou R, Dana T, Bougatsos C, Blazina I, Starmer AJ, Reitel K. et al. Pressure ulcer risk assessment and preventiona systematic comparative effectiveness review. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2013;159(1):28–38. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-159-1-201307020-00006. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Brienza D, Kelsey S, Karg P, Allegretti A, Olson M, Schmeler M. et al. A randomized clinical trial on preventing pressure ulcers with wheelchair seat cushions. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2010;58(12):2308–14. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2010.03168.x. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Iranmanesh S, Rafiei H, Foroogh Ameri G. Critical care nurses' knowledge about pressure ulcer in southeast of iran. International Wound Journal. 2011;8(5):459–64. doi: 10.1111/j.1742-481X.2011.00817.x. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Qaseem A, Mir TP, Starkey M, Denberg TD. Risk assessment and prevention of pressure ulcers: a clinical practice guideline from the american college of physicians. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2015;162(5):359–69. doi: 10.7326/M14-1567. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Qaseem A, Humphrey LL, Forciea MA, Starkey M, Denberg TD. Treatment of pressure ulcers: a clinical practice guideline from the american college of physicians. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2015;162(5):370–9. doi: 10.7326/M14-1568. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources