DIRECT MEASUREMENT OF CUTANEOUS PRESSURES GENERATED BY PRESSURE GARMENTS

Pressure garments are the mainstay of burn scar management despite lim ited scientific evidence. this study demonstrates a simple method of d irectly measuring the cutaneous pressures generated by a pressure garm ent. The results show pressure garments generate an increase in subder mal pressures in the range 9-90 mmHg depending on the anatomical site. Garments over soft sites generate pressures ranging from 9 to 33 mmHg . Over bony prominences the pressures range from 47 to 90 mmHg. This m ethod is believed to be more representative of the pressures generated than the interpositional techniques that measure garment-skin interfa ce pressure, as it avoids garment distortion, the interference effect of the measurement device (size, conformation, area) and directly meas ures subdermal pressures. The method should be useful for larger resea rch projects on pressure therapy and also for clinical management of p ressure garments in the treatment of hypertrophic scar. (C) 1997 Elsev ier Science Ltd for ISBI.