Nutritional Status of Patients with Decubitus Ulcers, and Changes in the Skin Blood Flow when the Sacral Region was Compressed

Abstract

We studied the relationship between decubitus ulcers and changes in skin blood flow with respect to the presence or absence of a decompression medium. We also studied the relationship between decubitus ulcers and the results of biochemical tests that reflect nutritional status. Two groups of inpatients with decubitus ulcers in areas other than the sacral region were studied: One used cloth diapers and the other used paper diapers. Skin blood flow was measured with a laser Doppler blood flowmeter and a sheet of polyurethane (decompression medium) in the sacral region. Data were also obtained from patients with and without decubitus ulcers, and whose levels of albumin, total cholesterol, and triglyceride for three months were known. When the decompression medium was used, skin blood flow changed significantly after body position was changed in the patients who used paper diapers. Nutritional analyses showed significant differences in the levels of albumin and total cholesterol between patients with and without decubitus ulcers. The levels of albumin and total cholesterol were lower in the patients with decubitus ulcers than in those without decubitus ulcers. Because the cloth diapers acted as a compression factor, even an externally applied decompression medium did not suppress the reductions in skin blood flow.