Abstract
The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between post-operative epidural analgesia and incidence of heel pressure sores. The study sample consisted of 53 men and women over the age of 20 years who had major abdominal surgery (mean age 69 years). The main outcome measure was the number of patients who developed any degree of heel sore in the post-operative period. Pressure sore risk assessments were completed by the general surgical nurses with grade of risk recorded. Twenty-one percent of patients in the study developed pressure changes on the skin of their heels; 5.7% developed changes of Grade 2 or worse. Only 10 patients (18.9%) were scored as being at high risk of pressure sores post-operatively. Fifteen (28.3%) patients had no pressure sore risk assessment carried out post-operatively. Ward staff failed to recognise that their patients had been placed at high risk by the use of epidural analgesia post-operatively.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
