Reducing the Period of Immobilization Following Pressure Sore Surgery A Prospective, Randomized Trial

The cost to care for a patient with pressure sores can be exorbitant. One part of this expense results from the prolonged postoperative immobilization. Published protocols report 3 to 8 weeks of immobilization however, there are no studies that establish longer periods to be superior. To justify our 3week protocol, we conducted a prospective, randomized trial of 2 versus 3 weeks of postoperative immobilization.