Effects of using a high-density foam pad versus a viscoelastic polymer pad on the incidence of pressure ulcer development during spinal surgery.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of high-density foam (HDF) pads versus viscoelastic polymer (VP) pads in the prevention of pressure ulcer formation during spinal surgery and their cost-effectiveness. Subjects were 30 patients who underwent spinal surgery for more than 3 hr in a prone position. One side of the chest and iliac crest was padded with HDF pads and the other side was padded with VP pads.