A Comparison of Two Multi-Layer Sacral Foam Dressings for the Prevention of Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries

Hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) represent a significant detriment to patient health by increasing mortality risk, negatively impacting quality of life, and increasing risk of complications such as infection. Prophylactic use of sacral foam dressings is known to decrease the occurrence of HAPIs in various patient populations. This retrospective study compared the effect of two multi-layer sacral foam dressings on HAPI incidence in patients admitted to a short-term, acute care hospital during the years 2015 (dressing one: Mepilex® Border Protect sacral dressing [Mölnlycke Healthcare AB, Göteborg, Sweden]) and 2017 (dressing two: Optifoam® Gentle LQ silicone faced foam & border sacral dressing [Medline Industries, LP, Northfield, Illinois]). Patient medical charts were examined for full sample (n=297) and subsample (n=284) analysis, respectively. The HAPI incidence for dressing two was found to be significantly less than dressing one (full sample: 5.12% compared to 10.79% [p=0.0001], and subsample: 4.07% compared to 9.31% [p=0.0001]). The incidence rate ratio (IRR) for dressing two was 0.39 for the full sample and 0.35 for the subsample, indicating that compared to dressing one, the HAPI count was approximately 40% lower for dressing two for the full sample and approximately 35% lower for dressing two for the subsample. These results demonstrate that dressing two performed better than dressing one in HAPI prevention. The results of this study may inform clinicians in their choice of prophylactic dressings.