Lenora Marcellus1. 1. University of Alberta. smarcellus@telus.net
Abstract
PURPOSE: To describe the skin-surface pressure distributions and points of maximal pressure that are generated by healthy premature infants in the supine, prone, and right side-lying positions. DESIGN: A descriptive, repeated-measures design. SAMPLE: Four medically stable premature infants of 34 weeks postconceptional age. The mean weight was 2,180 gm, and the mean age was 24.5 days. RESULTS: Similar regions of increased skin-surface pressures were identified for the four infants. Within areas of peak pressure, some sensor cells reached 28-32 millimeters of mercury, which is considered to be the critical compressive pressure for obstruction of nutritive flow to the underlying body tissues. These descriptive results may be a starting point for development of research studies to determine positioning strategies to optimize the skin integrity of premature infants while minimizing unnecessary handling.
PURPOSE: To describe the skin-surface pressure distributions and points of maximal pressure that are generated by healthy premature infants in the supine, prone, and right side-lying positions. DESIGN: A descriptive, repeated-measures design. SAMPLE: Four medically stable premature infants of 34 weeks postconceptional age. The mean weight was 2,180 gm, and the mean age was 24.5 days. RESULTS: Similar regions of increased skin-surface pressures were identified for the four infants. Within areas of peak pressure, some sensor cells reached 28-32 millimeters of mercury, which is considered to be the critical compressive pressure for obstruction of nutritive flow to the underlying body tissues. These descriptive results may be a starting point for development of research studies to determine positioning strategies to optimize the skin integrity of premature infants while minimizing unnecessary handling.