The effectiveness of oral nutritional supplementation in the healing of pressure ulcers

The effectiveness of oral nutritional supplementation in the healing of pressure ulcers

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of an oral nutritional supplement that is rich in protein and enriched with arginine, vitamin C and zinc on the healing of pressure ulcers. Method: Thirty-nine patients with grade III or IV pressure ulcers were enrolled into this open intervention study. S...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of wound care Vol. 13; no. 8; pp. 319 - 322
Main Authors: Frias Soriano, L, Lage Vzquez, M.A, Prez-Portabella Maristany, C, Xandri Graupera, J.M, Wouters-Wesseling, W, Wagenaar, L
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: London MA Healthcare 01-09-2004
Subjects:
Administration, Oral
Aged
Anthropometry
Female
Humans
Male
Nursing
Nutrition Assessment
Nutrition Therapy - methods
Pressure Ulcer - diet therapy
Pressure Ulcer - physiopathology
Prospective Studies
Treatment Outcome
Wound Healing - physiology
Spain
decubitus
pressure ulcers
supplementation
nutrition
wound healing
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Summary:Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of an oral nutritional supplement that is rich in protein and enriched with arginine, vitamin C and zinc on the healing of pressure ulcers. Method: Thirty-nine patients with grade III or IV pressure ulcers were enrolled into this open intervention study. Subjects received an oral nutritional supplement daily for three weeks. Wound area and the wound condition of the ulcers were assessed weekly. Results: After three weeks of supplementation, median wound area reduced significantly (p<0.001) from 23.6cm2 (1.6–176.6cm2) to 19.2cm2 (1.2–132.7cm2), a reduction of 29%. Median healing of wound area was 0.34cm2 per day, taking approximately two days to heal 1cm2. Within three weeks the amount of exudate in infected ulcers (p=0.012) and the incidence of necrotic tissue (p=0.001) reduced significantly. Conclusion: Nutritional intervention in the form of a specific oral nutritional supplement resulted in a significant reduction in wound area and an improvement in wound condition in patients with grade III and IV pressure ulcers within three weeks. Declaration of interest: This study was supported by Nutricia, Madrid, Spain.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-1
content type line 23
ISSN:0969-0700
2052-2916
DOI:10.12968/jowc.2004.13.8.26654