[Polyurethane foam dressing. Assessment of its therapeutic effects in the treatment of moderate- to highly-exudative chronic ulcers].

The authors evaluate the behavior of Skinfoam Polyurethane Foam Dressings in the treatment of bed sores and vascular ulcers having a moderate to high exudation level by means of a multi-centric, prospective, open, observational study of a series of clinical cases. The length of this study was up to 20 dressing changes or until the patient was cured. During the first visit with patients, the personnel recorded patient data including an evaluation of the characteristics of patient's lesion; during visits to change dressings, the medical personnel recorded the evolution of the lesion and dressing changes; during the final visit, the medical personnel evaluated the final characteristics of the lesion as well as a global evaluation of the behavior of the dressing. This study included 185 patients who had an average age of 75.5. At the end of this study, 44.32% of these patients did not have any signs of an ulcer while among the other patients, the medical team noted an important decrease in the size of their lesions, with a considerable increase of tissue epithelization. The perilesional skin showed improvement in all aspects and erythema and eczema diminished in a statistically significant manner. The presence of exudation was null when the final dressing change occurred. Patients manifested a lack of pain before the end of this study 85.15% of the professionals indicated a global satisfaction level of good, very good or excellent while 100% of the patients stated they would use this dressing again. The authors conclude that the dressing under study is effective in the treatment of bed sores and high exudation vascular ulcers; even in cases involving compressive therapy, this dressing could be the one chosen for application.