Silicone Foam Dressings Significantly Reduce Pressure Injury Risk: Study
Researchers have discovered in a new study that silicone foam dressings are extremely effective at preventing pressure injury risk in sensitive areas like the sacrum and heels. The study concluded that the dressings significantly reduce the occurrence of both early-stage (stage I) and more advanced (stage II and higher) pressure injuries and are therefore a strong clinical recommendation for prevention. The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Medicine by Tingkui Fu. and colleagues.
This meta-analysis systematically assessed the effectiveness of silicone foam dressings specifically in preventing pressure injury in the sacral and heel areas. A thorough literature search was conducted in the top databases such as PubMed, Embase, ClinicalTrials.gov, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang, and Weipu through May 10, 2025. This focused exclusively on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to ensure high-quality evidence.
10 RCTs were included according to the inclusion criteria, and 4,817 patients were covered under them. The patients numbered 2,670 for the silicone foam dressings, and the rest were given the normal preventive treatment. RevMan 5.4 software was used to analyze the data with a focus on stage I and stage II (and higher) pressure injuries in the sacral and heel areas.
Key Findings
The meta-analysis identified a definite advantage of silicone foam dressings:
Stage I pressure injuries
Sacral area: Relative risk (RR) = 0.18, 95% CI: 0.09–0.33, p < 0.001
Heel area: RR = 0.30, 95% CI: 0.14–0.66, p = 0.003
Stage II and higher pressure injuries
Sacral area: RR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.31–0.58, p < 0.001
Heel area: RR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.27–0.99, p = 0.05
Silicone foam dressings were efficacious in their ability to reduce early and severe pressure injuries in the sacral and heel areas. Because of their preventive advantage, it is advised they be used clinically in high-risk patient populations. Further study on their economic and long-term effects is needed to better solidify implementation strategies within diverse healthcare environments.
Reference:
Fu, T., Wu, X., & Yu, B. (2025). Efficacy of silicone foam dressings in preventing pressure injuries in the sacral and heel areas of patients: a meta-analysis. Frontiers in Medicine, 12(1644290). https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2025.1644290
