Distribution of internal pressure around bony prominences: implications to Deep Tissue Injury and effectiveness of Intermittent Electrical Stimulation.

Solis et al, 2012 [pre-clinical; pigs] aimed to obtain detailed measures of the distribution of pressure experienced by tissue around the ischial tuberosities, and (2) investigating the effectiveness of IES, for the prevention of DTI. A force-controlled servomotor was used to load the region of the buttocks to levels corresponding to 25%, 50% or 75% of each animal’s body weight. Electrical stimulation was initiated to induce a maximal muscle contraction (which lasted 10–12 s). A 10 min resting period was imposed between trials with IES to ensure that muscle fatigue would not develop. The authors found that IES significantly redistributed internal pressure, shifting the peak values away from the bone in spinally intact and injured animals. Suggesting that IES may be an effective strategy for the prevention of DTI.