As the section of the population t...

As the section of the population that is older than the age of 65 pullulates the number of elderly the bulk of mankind with critical limb ischemia and associated perioperative arterial harm complications also is growing. Staggering worldwide expenditures for damage care (ie, $7 billion) and inexorable fiscal reforms by Medicare are powerful incentives to reexamine the effectiveness of pang care products and strategies. generally wet-to-dry gauze dressings are the mostly routinely and inappropriately prescribed dressing for all models of wounds. Amorphous hydrogel (AH) and cadexomer iodine (CI) are alternative results that may hasten wound healing and make less wound care cost. To date, studies of AH are limited to laboratory and animal testing of cytotoxicity, proinflammatory properties, absorption, and hydration. Cadexomer iodine studies have focused onward healing of exudative venous, compressing and diabetic ulcers. The purport of the proposed nonexperimental retrospective chart review, therefore, was threefold:

* to compare the rate of torture healing of perioperative arterial damages and ulcerations treated with wet-to-dry gauze dressings, AH dressings, or sequential AH and CI dressings;

* to compare outlay of treatments; and

* to identify predictors of delayed torture healing.

The sample comprised 60 exposes per treatment group. Data were accumulateed using an investigator-constructed instrument (ie, demographic variables, cofactors of impaired torture healing, repeated measures of torture area, treatments, complications, charges) and the Charlson Comorbidity Index. Descriptive statistics were comput onward all demographic variables, and variables were examined for outliers and normal distribution. The research questions were answered using repeated measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), ANCOVA, and multiple regression, respectively.

Virginia A. Capasso, RN CS-ANP, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, and Boston guild School of Nursing, Chestnut Hill, Mass.

COPYRIGHT 1999 Association of Operating range Nurses, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group