EFFECTIVENESS OF TWO HOURLY REPOSITIONING WITH A 30-DEGREE TILT AND FOUR HOURLY REPOSITIONING WITH A 90-DEGREE TILT IN THE PRESSURE ULCER HEALING OF PARAPLEGIC SPINAL CORD INJURED PATIENTS

Abstract

Introduction: Pressure ulcers are costly and devastating complications of spinal cord injury. A variety of treatment options are available for the management of pressure ulcers. Despite the fact that regular repositioning with a 30-degree and a 90-degree tilt is the most commonly applied interventions for the management of PU in clinical settings, however, their effectiveness is questionable because high-quality evidence is lacking to support or negate these treatment options. The objective of the current research study was to find out the effectiveness of two-hourly repositioning with a 30-degree tilt and four-hourly repositioning with a 90-degree tilt in the pressure ulcer healing of paraplegic spinal cord injured patients.

Material & Methods: A pre-test and post-test control group research study was carried out at Paraplegic Centre, Peshawar from January to June 2019. A total of 42 paraplegic complete spinal cord injury patients with grade-II and -III pressure ulcers participated in the study. Participants in group A received two-hourly repositioning with a 30-degree tilt while participants in group B received four-hourly repositioning with a 90-degree tilt. Both groups were followed for three months. Pressure Ulcer Scale for Healing was used for data collection before and after the intervention.

Results: The mean age of the subjects was 33.6 ± 11.6 years. Pre-treatment Pressure Ulcer Scale for Healing score of group A was 12.9 ± 1.94 and of group B was 12.33 ± 1.65 (p-value=0.311) while post-treatment Pressure Ulcer Scale for Healing score of group A was 1.04 ± 3.30 and of the group B was 7.23 ± 4.21 (p<0.001).

Conclusion: Two hourly repositioning with a 30-degree tilt significantly improved pressure ulcers in people with spinal cord injury compared to four hourly repositioning with a 90-degree tilt.