Results of a new study find that a skin protectant that changes from a liquid to breathable film has more staying power than other alternatives meant to keep urinary or fecal incontinence from reaching the skin’s surface.
Research published in Wounds compared 3M’s new Cavilon Advanced Skin Protectant — in which acrylic polymers are combined with 2-octyl cyanoacrylate — with a liquid skin protectant, a no-sting skin prep and a skin protective barrier wand product.
The 3M formulation can adhere to both intact skin and denuded skin. For the study, 21 healthy individuals had carbon pigment and each of the four skin barrier products applied to their arms and monitored.
The product showed no significant wear of the underlying pigment after seven days, while the other products had less than 50% of the pigment left after a week.
“This product has the potential to greatly improve the care of patients with severe incontinence, including fecal incontinence such as observed with Clostridium difficile infections,” study authors wrote.
Though the research was controlled and randomized, it was open-label and funded by 3M.
From the November 2018 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
