Improved pressure sore healing with hydrocolloid dressings.

We prospectively followed inpatients receiving treatment for pressure sores to identify the better of two local treatment regimens. Twenty-seven patients with 76 pressure sores received treatment with hydrocolloid dressings (HCDs) and 25 patients with 52 pressure sores received treatment with Dakin's solution (chloramine-T)-soaked wet-to-dry dressings. Thirty-eight (73%) patients initially had severe nutritional depletion. The mean serum albumin value of the pressure sore treatment groups was lower than that of an age-matched group without pressure sores. In the HCD group, 66 (86.8%) pressure sores improved compared with 36 (69.2%) pressure sores in the wet-to-dry dressings group. The HCD regimen was more efficacious even in a subgroup of patients who received inadequate nutritional support during treatment. Adequate nutritional intake during the study was associated with better healing in both local treatment groups.