Ground-breaking trial

With backing from the Stewart Family Trust, Enliven Southland is kick-starting a wound treatment pilot project, one which is expected to be ground-breaking for the country’s aged residential care sector.

Over a 12-month period, clinical nurse specialist: wound care for the Southern district Mandy Pagan and senior managers in Peacehaven and Vickery Court care homes will identify patients they believe would benefit from pneumatic pump treatment, prescribe and carry out the treatment and compile data around its effectiveness in the care home setting.

Mandy has more than eight years’ experience working with pneumatic compression in clinical practice.

The therapy had advanced over the years and was now accessible for use in people’s homes, including rest homes, she said.

“Whilst working with Dawn Acker, Enliven Southland nurse practitioner, it has become evident to me the high need for this therapy at point-of-care to improve resident wound healing and reducing symptoms associated with oedema.

“I am very excited to work with the Enliven team and residents, their families, and whānau to improve resident outcomes.”

Enliven director Carol Riddle said working collaboratively with nurse specialists from Te Whatu Ora was essential to share skills and learnings.

“This gives me great confidence in achieving clinical excellence as we navigate increased clinical complexity in our resident population.”

Pneumatic compression pumps are electric devices which gently massage a limb for a period of time.

They are used to treat conditions such as oedema (fluid retention), lymphoedema, neurovascular impairments, lipoedema (abnormal fat build up usually in the buttocks, thighs and hips), and the treatment of wounds and ulcers associated with diabetes and other chronic illnesses.

The benefits of the pneumatic pump include faster wound healing, reduced swelling, softening of the skin, improved mobility due to reduced leg pain and swelling, reduced incidence of cellulitis and therefore reduced need for antibiotics, reduced hospitalisations and less nursing time spent on wound care.

Currently, pneumatic pumps are not provided or routinely used by any aged care facility providers in New Zealand.

Carol said an increasing number of people were entering aged care with complex and multiple health concerns requiring a high level of expertise and care.  This included an increasing number of presentations of upper and lower leg oedema with complex wounds that were difficult or unable to heal if oedema was not managed effectively.

At present, the use of pneumatic pumps in Southland is prescribed by the specialist wound service. Pumps and sleeves are rented by patients, including a small number of elderly people living in aged care homes, but for many aged care residents, the cost is prohibitive, she said.