Abstract
Background:Reactive hyperemia is considered an early stage of pressure ulcer development.Preventing its onset is essential for surgical skin integrity management.
Objective:This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of preoperative offloading using assistive gloves(vinyl gloves)in reducing postoperative reactive hyperemia during surgeries requiring special positioning.
Methods:A retrospective comparison was conducted involving 687 surgical cases performed in lithotomy,lateral,or prone positions at our hospital between April 2022 and December 2023.Offloading using vinyl gloves was introduced from June 2023.Reactive hyperemia was evaluated at three timepoints:immediately post-operation,in the recovery room,and on postoperative day 1.Patients were divided into offloading and non-offloading groups.
Results:While no significant differences were observed in the incidence of reactive hyperemia immediately post-operation between groups,the offloading group showed zero cases of residual hyperemia on postoperative day 1 across all positions.In lithotomy and prone positions,the offloading group also exhibited a lower residual rate in the recovery room.
Conclusion:Offloading using assistive gloves reduced residual reactive hyperemia after surgeries in special positions.This method helped alleviate skin folds,shear forces,and moisturerelated stress,contributing to improved dermal protection and comfort.Glove-assisted pressure relief appears to be a promising nursing intervention for skin integrity management in the perioperative setting.
