Topical treatment of pressure ulcers with nerve growth factor: a randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of pressure ulcers of the foot is a major health care problem in frail elderly patients. A pressure sore dramatically increases the cost of medical and nursing care, and effective treatment has always been an essential nursing concern. Management options for pressure ulcers include local wound care; surgical repair; and, more recently, topical application of growth factors. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of topical treatment with nerve growth factor in patients with severe, noninfected pressure ulcers of the foot. DESIGN: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. SETTING: Teaching nursing home of Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Italy. PATIENTS: 36 persons with pressure ulcers of the foot. INTERVENTION: 18 patients received nerve growth factor treatment, and 18 patients received only conventional topical treatment. MEASUREMENTS: The course of the ulcers during follow-up was evaluated by tracing the perimeter of the wound onto sterile, transparent block paper and determining the stage. RESULTS: At baseline, the treatment and control groups did not differ across demographic variables, clinical characteristics, and functional measures. The mean area (+/-SD) of the ulcers was 1012 +/- 633 mm2 in the treatment group and 1012 +/- 655 mm2 in the control group (P > 0.2). The average reduction in pressure ulcer area at 6 weeks was statistically significantly greater in the treatment group than in the control group (738 +/- 393 mm2 vs. 485 +/- 384 mm2; P = 0.034). CONCLUSION: Topical application of nerve growth factor may be an effective therapy for patients with severe pressure ulcers.

Comorbidity and social factors predicted hospitalization in frail elderly patients.

OBJECTIVE: Studies on factors predicting the hospital admission of geriatric patients have reported different findings. The present study was undertaken to examine the rate of hospitalization among a large sample of frail elderly people living in the community and to identify the most important clinical and patient-centered factors associated with the hospital admission. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: This is an observational cohort study. All patients (n = 1,291) in six Italian home health care agencies were assessed by a trained staff who collected data on the Minimum Data Set for Home Care (MDS-HC) form. We constructed a longitudinal database including MDS-HC data and information on hospital utilization by each patient. RESULTS: During the follow-up of 12 months, the rate of hospitalization was about 26% of the studied sample. Persons living alone were more likely to have a hospital admission than those living with an informal caregiver (odds ratio OR = 2.59, 95% confidence interval CI = 1.82-3.69). Similarly, persons with economic hardship were more frequently hospitalized than those without these problems(OR = 3.01, 95% CI = 1.75-5.18). Comorbidity and previous hospital admission were associated with a higher risk to be hospitalized, too. CONCLUSION: Our results support the hypothesis that a mix of social and health problems are independent predictors of hospitalization. Identification of those factors that best predict hospital admissions and readmissions gives direction for potential interventions and further research toward reducing unnecessary hospitalizations.