ABSTRACT
Objective To design an air-cushioned belt for skin traction of lower extremities to reduce the incidence of deep vein thrombosis and pressure ulcers in patients with lower limb fractures. Methods The belt was composed of upper and lower leggings.The legging had an air cushion at its interior surface,and the air cushion consisted of several chambers.There was a connecting tube between every two chambers, and each tube was equipped with a pressure non-return valve. The chamber on the top of the cushion had a charging mechanism for inflation.Totally 100 patients from June to December 2016 were selected and divided equally into an experiment group and a control group.The experiment group used the developed air-cushioned belt,and the control group applied the traditional one.The incidence rates of deep venous thrombosis of lower limbs were compared in the two groups,and χ2test was carried out on the results.Results There were no cases of pressure ulcers and deep venous thromboses of lower limbs occurred in the experiment group,while 5 cases of deep venous thromboses of lower limbs and 4 cases of pressure ulcer happened in the control group,and there were significant differences between the incidence rates in the groups(P<0.05).Conclusion The air-cushioned belt has easy operation,relieves the patients'pains and the nurses'workload when used to prevent deep venous thrombosis of lower limbs and pressure ulcer,and thus is worthy promoting clinically.