Release of Tissue Protective Agents from Sacral Prophylactic Dressings: How Long Should it Take to Protect the Skin from Pressure Ulcers?

The use of dressings for pressure ulcer prevention is increasing worldwide. In addition to their passive roles in pressure and shear reduction and microclimate management, the prophylactic dressings of the future will likely also provide active tissue protection by releasing supplements and prevention agents into skin and deeper tissues. We investigated the feasibility of delivery of prevention molecules from an active dressing to protect the sacral skin and underlying tissues. We used four finite element models describing different skin roughness levels to determine time-profiles of the diffusing molecules from the active dressing into the skin. Concentrations at the different modeled cases stabilized within several hours from the time of application of the dressings, at potent fractions of the concentration in the dressing reservoir. Hence, prophylactic sacral dressings have the potential to deliver skin protective molecules into the skin and subdermally in order to improve tissue tolerance to sustained bodyweight-caused cell and tissue deformations and the associated damage. The time durations to achieve the steady-state dermal concentrations are clinically relevant e.g. for preparation of patients for surgery or for use in intensive care units.