Assessing Static Air Device in Mitigating Pressure Injuries: An Observation Retrospective Study

Purpose: This observational study aimed to evaluate the use of a static air device (SAD) to prevent worsening pressure injuries (PIs) present on admission and the development of health care–acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) of the foot, heel, or ankle (FHA) within the spinal cord injury population. The central hypothesis was that SADs would significantly reduce the incidence of HAPIs and prevent the worsening of existing PIs in the FHA, where “worsened” was defined as no reduction in wound size, deterioration in wound bed appearance, or increase in staging severity and promote improvement, defined as a decrease in wound size, improved granulation tissue, or complete epithelialization. The hypothesis further posited that SADs would outperform traditional offloading devices (e.g., foam boots, pillows) in reducing PI incidence and promoting healing due to their ergonomic design, temperature regulation, and patient comfort. Design: Retrospective observational cohort study. Methods: Data were reviewed for 12 months using our existing pressure relief protocol in our 179-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital. These data included existing PIs and HAPIs of the FHA. Comparison data were reviewed retrospectively for a 6-month post-period, where SADs were added to the pressure relief protocol from a 24-bed unit. We used comparative analysis to calculate HAPI rates per patient day and the rate of the same or worsened PIs present on admission post-implementation of SAD. Results: The data indicate an improvement in the rate of HAPIs per patient day and prevention of worsening of existing PIs. Implementing SADs significantly reduced the incidence of FHA pressure injuries. Clinical Relevance to the Practice of Rehabilitation Nursing: This study compared the SAD device with alternatives previously used at our rehabilitation hospital. Pressure injuries cause pain, discomfort, longer hospital stays, and increased costs. Rehabilitation nurses should continue to explore new avenues for PI prevention. Conclusions: The results indicate the benefit of using SADs for PI prevention and treatment of the FHA PIs.