Article

Pressure sores are a significant problem in the healthcare sector.
Although they may cause considerable morbidity, they are preventable.
The objectives of this study are to (1) investigate the electrical properties of
a tissue close to and away from the pressure sore site, and (2) establish a new
approach for objective, reliable, low-cost and noninvasive screening or detection
of pressure sore in its early stage. STUDY DESIGN: Randomised controlled trial.
METHODS: Fifteen patients participated in this study.
They all had stage I or
stage II sacral pressure sores. Tiny surface electrodes in four-electrode
configuration were used for all tissue electrical properties measurements
recorded over the frequency range of 30-10 MHz. RESULTS: Intraclass correlation
coefficient (ICC) showed that all measurements (ICC > 0.90 for all measurements)
had good reliability and validity. The real part of impedance (R) and the
imaginary part of impedance (X) of a tissue measured close to the pressure sore
site was found to be significantly smaller (p < 0.05 in all cases) than that
measured away from the pressure sore site at a specific frequency range (R:
30.00-38.55 Hz; X: 43.95-606.40 Hz). It was also found that the extracellular
resistance (R(e)) and the ratio of extracellular resistance to intracellular
resistance (R(e)/R(i)) of a tissue measured close to the pressure sore site were
significantly smaller (p < 0.05 in all cases) than that measured away from the
pressure sore site. CONCLUSIONS: Since the electrical properties (R, X, R(e),
R(e)/R(i) ) of a tissue close to, and away from, the pressure sore site can be
significantly distinguished, a potentially promising method for the screening of
pressure sores at an early stage has been proposed.

Langue : ANGLAIS