Portrait of practice: healing heel ulcers

Abstract

Two treatments for heel pressure ulcers--a dressing foot wrap and a laminated foam boot (Lunax, BIO-SONICS)--were compared for effectiveness in a sample of 25 Intensive Care Unit patients at a community teaching hospital. At the first sign of heel redness, 11 patients were assigned to receive a dressing foot wrap, and 14 were assigned to wear a laminated foam boot on their heels. Subjects heel breakdowns were monitored every three days until one of the following conditions occurred: break of a blister, discharge from hospital, or death. None of the subjects receiving the dressing foot wrap showed improvement, whereas all but one of the subjects using the boot showed improvement.