Groin Dressing Post Cardiac Catheterization: Traditional Pressure Vs Transparent Film

Background: Post cardiac catheterization puncture site care is usually done with a tight pressure dressing in many institutionsdue to the belief that it should prevent the bleeding. This practice is uncomfortable to the patients. Nurses have also describeddifficulty in assessing the sheath insertion site in the groin when pressure dressing is in place. A new way of dressing usingtransparent film dressing (TFD) has approved and rated better with regard to: comfort, less pain, decrease hematomaformation and facilitates nurses’ assessment of the puncture wound site after femoral sheath removal.Aim: To determine the efficacy of a small transparent non pressure dressing compared with the traditional controlledpressure dressing applied to the femoral artery puncture wound to maintain hemostasis with respect to 3 outcomes: patientsatisfaction, bleeding or hematoma formation, and nurse-reported ease of assessment of the groin site after the procedure.Materials and MethodsDesign: An experimental design, randomized study.Patients: 80 post cardiac catheterization patients were randomized to have their groins dressed either with pressure dressing(N = 40) or Transparent Film Dressing (N = 40). Patients ambulated 8 hours after the procedures. Outcome variables werehematoma formation or bleeding, patient discomfort, and nurse-reported ease of observation of the groin puncture site afterthe procedure. Five instruments were used for data collection: Demographic and medical data sheet, Hematoma Formationand Bleeding Scale, Skin Integrity Scale, Patient Discomfort and Pain Scale and Nurses Ease of Assessment Scale.Results: Results of the study showed that 100% in TFD group vs. 55% in pressure dressing group reported feeling verycomfortable (p value of 0.003). Hematoma formation was equal in the two dressing groups with no incidence of bleedingcomplications. Nurses rated the ease of assessing the groin significantly higher for TFD than for pressure dressings (p valueof 0.000).Conclusion: Dressing of the puncture site after cardiac catheterization with TFD was more comfortable than the conventionalpressure dressing without any difference in hematoma or bleeding complications. So TFD can be used safely and comfortablyafter achieving hemostasis.