Retrospective Cohort Noninferiority Analysis of Barrier Cream in Preventing Pressure Injuries.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of a dimethicone- and zinc-based barrier cream compared with hyperoxygenated fatty acids in preventing pressure injuries (PIs) in patients at high or very high risk. METHODS: Researchers conducted a retrospective noninferiority study in an inpatient acute care hospital in Spain that included hospitalized patients in nonsurgical departments with impaired mobility. RESULTS: The study authors reviewed 522 patients in a control group (hyperoxygenated fatty acids) and an experimental group (barrier cream) over a period of 7 days. The incidence of PI was 31% in the control group and 31.1% in the experimental group. The hazard ratio for developing PI was 0.84 (confidence interval, 0.61-1.17; P = .32) in the experimental group compared with the control group, meeting the criteria for noninferiority. The Kaplan-Meier estimator indicated no statistically significant difference between groups (log-rank = 0.654). CONCLUSIONS: Dimethicone- and zinc-based barrier cream was not inferior to hyperoxygenated fatty acids in preventing PIs in hospitalized patients at high or very high risk of developing them during their hospital stay.

Melanoma vulvar: papel enfermero en la prevención primaria y secundaria / Vulvar Melanoma: The role of nurses in primary and secondary prevention

El melanoma vulvar constituye el 5-10% de las neoplasias malignas vulvares. Es un tumor raro, que debe tenerse en cuenta en casos de aparición de lesión pigmentada en la vulva en una paciente de edad avanzada o incluso sin lesión aparente, ante un prurito persistente y rebelde a los tratamientos habituales. Los principales factores pronósticos son el grosor de la lesión primaria y la existencia de afectación ganglionar. El tratamiento del melanoma vulvar es fundamentalmente quirúrgico, con una tendencia en las últimas décadas a realizar técnicas cada vez más conservadoras. La ausencia de un tratamiento curativo en el melanoma vulvar metastatizante subraya la importancia de la prevención y del diagnóstico y tratamiento precoz, así como la necesidad de investigar sobre nuevos agentes quimioterápicos, la inmunoterapia y la terapia génica. La valoración enfermera implica una evaluación cuidadosa de la historia médica, familiar, social, cultural, psicológica y ocupacional de la paciente, además de una exploración física sistemática. Así mismo, los profesionales de Enfermería juegan un papel primordial en la prevención primaria y secundaria del melanoma vulvar. En este artículo se describen las características de este tipo de melanoma, los factores de riesgo y las intervenciones de prevención y de tratamiento disponibles

Vulvar melanoma represents 5-10% of malignant vulvarneoplasias. It is a rare tumour, that must be taken into account in cases where pigmented lesions develop in the vulva of an elderly patient, or even without apparent lesion, when there is a persistent pruritus which is resistant to common treatments. The main prognostic factors are: thickness of the primary lesion, and node involvement. The treatment of vulvar melanoma is mainly surgical, and the trend in the past decades has been to conduct increasingly conservative techniques. The lack of a curative treatment for metastatic vulvar melanoma underlines the importance of prevention and early diagnosis and treatment, as well as the need for research regarding new chemotherapy agents, immunotherapy, and genetic therapy. Nursing assessment involves a careful evaluation of the medical, familial, social, cultural, psychological and occupational background of the patient, as well as systematic physical examinations. Additionally, Nursing professionals will play an essential role in primary and secondary prevention of vulvarmelanoma. This article describes the characteristics of this type of melanoma, risk factors, and the prevention and treatment interventions available