Opsite Dressing Research Articles

Analysis on the Utilization of Home Nursing Care Service

Purpose: This study was analyzed the service utilization of subjects who participated in the home nursing care pilot project to improve the home nursing care service management system. Methods: The participants were 944 patients who received home nursing care services during the first and the second pilot project period. The study design was descriptive study to analyze the general characteristics, sickness characteristics, and records of the types of requests and use of home nursing care services. Results: There were many cases of home care nursing patients in the order of cesarean section, cerebral vascular disease, and cancer. The most common types of home care requests were suture removal and OP site dressing. The performance of home care was in the order of patient and caregiver education/training, dressing, removal of sutures, and breast massage. Conclusion: To activate the home nursing care service of medical institutions, it is necessary to supply more professional, efficient, and appropriate home nursing care services and establish a linkage system with other welfare services.

The impact of different methods of wound closure and dressing on the rate of wound infection in patients with fracture of the neck of femur

Summary A prospective, pilot study was conducted to compare infection rates in four groups with different methods of wound closure and dressing among a convenience sample ( n =65) of patients with a fracture of the neck of femur. The four groups were: Clips with Mepore dressing (n=25) Subcuticular suture with Mepore (n=11) Clips with Opsite dressing (n=16) Subcuticular suture with Opsite (n=13) There were a total of 65 participants (5 males and 60 females) with ages ranging from 70 to 103 years (mean=86, sd=5.7). Patients were followed during their stay on the ward. The four groups were evaluated with respect to infection rates. Gross purulent discharge, dehiscence, or purulent discharge from a single suture was considered a wound infection and this was confirmed microbiologically. Infection was noted in 6/25 (24%) of cases in which clips were used with Mepore dressing as compared to 1/11 (9%) when subcuticular sutures and Mepore were used. Infection rates for clips and Opsite, and subcuticular and Opsite were 2/16 (12.5%) and zero, respectively. Statistically there was no difference in infection rates between Mepore dressing and either type of skin closure ( p =0.4) and similarly for Opsite and either skin closure type ( p =0.48). The authors feel that the methods of wound closure and type of dressing probably have no additional benefit for the prevention of wound infection rate among elderly patients with fractures of the neck of femur, and that a larger randomized controlled study would be useful.

A controlled subatmospheric pressure dressing increases the rate of skin graft donor site reepithelialization.

The ability to increase the rate of skin graft donor site reepithelialization significantly in a cost-effective manner has important implications for the patient undergoing major reconstructive procedures. In this study the effect of externally applied reduced pressure (the V.A.C.) on the rate of healing of donor site wounds was initially investigated using a porcine model (N = 4), then repeated on humans (N = 10). Split-thickness skin grafts were harvested from the backs of pigs using standard technique. Half of the donor sites were treated with subatmospheric pressure (125 mmHg) and half were treated with an OpSite dressing. Biopsies taken every 48 hours demonstrated that sites exposed to reduced pressure healed at a much faster rate than sites treated with a standard occlusive dressing. Similarly, donor sites in humans reepithelialized faster in 7 of 10 patients, the rate was the same in 2 of 10 patients, and OpSite was faster in 1 of 10 patients. We believe this technology has the potential to be a relatively simple and cost-efficient method for increasing the rate of donor site healing.

Assessment of full‐thickness wounds in the genetically diabetic mouse for suitability as a wound healing model

While using the diabetic C57BL/KsJ db/db mouse as a wound healing model, we encountered several repair patterns which affect its suitability as a predictive screening model for certain indications. For example, wound contraction, albeit impaired, was found to be particularly dependent on bandaging technique and vehicle type. Wounds which had been continuously occluded with Opsite dressings had a high relative variability in contraction, and there was a tendency toward reduced contraction, suggesting that the dressings were acting as a splint. Viscous dosing vehicles inhibited contraction of occluded wounds but appeared to enhance contraction of nonoccluded wounds. In contrast to many other models, occlusion in these studies did not enhance reepithelialization when compared with air exposure (the rate of reepithelialization in db/db mice appeared normal, typically growing 2 mm from each edge in 10 days). Also in contrast to other wound healing models, viscous dosing vehicles when used under occlusion inhibited reepithelialization. However, as seen in other wound healing models, granulation tissue thickness was reliably increased in response to treatment with recombinant human platelet-derived growth factor-BB. Our experience with the db/db diabetic mouse model has led us to recommend the use of this animal model only after its limitations have been identified and accepted.

PAINLESS SPLIT SKIN DONOR SITES: A CONTROLLED DOUBLE‐BLIND TRIAL OF OPSITE, SCARLET RED AND BUPIVACAINE

A prospective randomized double-blind trial comparing Opsite alone, Opsite after application of bupivacaine, scarlet ointment dressing alone and scarlet ointment after bupivacaine was done to assess the effect of these four dressing regimens on split skin donor site pain and healing. Significantly less pain was reported by those dressed with Opsite and this was thought to be due to the immobility of an Opsite dressing. Many of the patients dressed with scarlet ointment felt no pain. It was concluded that movement of dressings is the main factor in pain production and that bupivacaine appeared to have no effect. There was no difference in healing rates between those treated with Opsite and those treated with scarlet ointment. It is concluded that using Opsite is a convenient way of preventing donor site pain, but that to gain maximum advantage from this it should not be applied under tension.