American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Transparent film dressing vs pressure dressing after percutaneous transluminal coronary angiography.
Pressure dressings have been used as the standard following sheath removal after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in many institutions. Patients complain about discomfort while the dressing is in place, pain when the dressing is removed after discharge, and skin complications afterward. Many patients have experienced skin irritation where tape has been applied. Nurses have also described difficulty assessing the sheath insertion site in the groin when a pressure dressing is in place. ⋯ As a result of this study, a practice change was made hospital-wide: rather than a standard opaque pressure dressing, a transparent film dressing is used for all patients after removal of a femoral sheath.