Objective point of care measurement of pressure trauma
Pressure injury is recognised as commencing in deeper soft tissues and by the time that skin changes are visible it is generally too late to avoid tissue damage. Visual inspection of skin over bony prominences is an important assessment and care activity. However, an objective tool which could gauge inflammatory fluid accumulation in deep tissue (subsequent to early pressure related trauma) would be a boon to carers, assisting them to design individualised repositioning schedules and to evaluate the clinical benefit derived from the pressure reduction items which they use.
Oliveira et al article in May’s (2017) Journal of Wound Care examines the potential for thermography, ultrasound and electrical capacitive technologies to be developed into point of care devices. These investigative methodologies can measure the accumulation of soft tissue fluid. Once one or more of these modalities is developed into a reliable, reproducible and quantifiable tool, then health professionals will have a guide to accompany clinical judgement, whose benefit will be the further minimisation of avoidable pressure injury.