Prevention of skin damage caused by medical adhesive removal in premature infants

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of the use of silicone tape and the use of a protective hydrocolloid dressing under silk tape in preventing skin damage due to medical adhesive removal in premature infants. Method: A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 75 premature infants between 32 and 36 weeks gestational age to examine the effects of the following medical adhesives used for fixing equipment on skin damage: protective hydrocolloid dressing+silk tape, silicone tape, and silk tape+silicone-based solvent spray. After medical adhesives were applied to the skin of the newborn for orogastric tube fixation, the skin condition was monitored for 24 hours. The skin condition was assessed with the Neonatal Skin Condition Scale before and after adhering to the medical adhesives. The statistical tool SPSS 22 was used to examine the study's data. Results: Neonatal skin condition scores were highest in the silk tape + silicone-based solvent spray group, while the lowest score was found in the silicone tape group. A statistically significant, moderate correlation, with a negative direction, was found between birth weight and post-application skin condition scores (r= -.432, p<0.05) in the hydrocolloid dressing + silk tape group. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that hydrocolloid dressings and silicone tape did not cause skin damage. Silk tape+silicone-based solvent spray increased skin condition scores.