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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2019 Dec;16(6):1314-1322.
doi: 10.1111/iwj.13191. Epub 2019 Sep 2.

Effectiveness and safety of olive oil preparation for topical use in pressure ulcer prevention: Multicentre, controlled, randomised, and double-blinded clinical trial

Antonio Díaz-Valenzuela  1   2 , Francisco P García-Fernández  3   4 , PedroJ Carmona Fernández  1   5 , M Jesús Valle Cañete  1 , Pedro L Pancorbo-Hidalgo  2   4
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Effectiveness and safety of olive oil preparation for topical use in pressure ulcer prevention: Multicentre, controlled, randomised, and double-blinded clinical trial

Antonio Díaz-Valenzuela et al. Int Wound J. 2019 Dec.

Abstract

This non-inferiority, multicentre, randomised, controlled, and double-blinded clinical trial compared the therapeutic effectiveness of the topical application of an olive oil solution with that of a hyperoxygenated fatty acid compound for the prevention of pressure ulcers in at-risk nursing home residents. The study population comprised 571 residents of 23 nursing homes with pressure ulcer risk, randomly assigned to a hyperoxygenated fatty acid group (n = 288) or olive oil solution group (n = 283). Both solutions were applied on at-risk skin areas every 12 hours for 30 days or until pressure ulcer onset. The main outcome variable was the pressure ulcer incidence. The absolute risk difference was estimated (with 95% CI) using Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox regression curves. The groups did not significantly differ in any study variable at baseline. The pressure ulcer incidence was 4.18% in the olive oil group vs 6.57% in the control group, with an incidence difference of -2.39% (95% CI = -6.40 to 1.56%), which is within the pre-established non-inferiority margin of ±7%, thus supporting the study hypothesis. We present the first evidence of the effectiveness and safety of the topical application of olive oil to prevent pressure ulcers in the institutionalised elderly.

Keywords: hyperoxygenated fatty acids; non-inferiority clinical trial; olive oil; pressure ulcers; skin care.

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Conflict of interest statement

No conflict of interest has been declared by the authors.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Study flow chart
Figure 2
Figure 2
Kaplan‐Meyer survival analysis
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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