Bedsores or pressure ulcers occur when sustained pressure cuts off blood flow to certain areas of the body, a common problem among bedridden and those confined to wheelchair.
Dr. S. Kwon Lee, president of Northeast Surgical Associates of Ohio, in Independence studied 89 nursing home residents in four states who were treated for moderate to advanced bedsores. The patients were randomly assigned to receive standard care or standard care plus a liquid protein supplement, sold as Pro-Stat.
After eight weeks, Lee's team found, patients who'd taken the supplement were healing at roughly twice the rate of those on standard care.
The findings of the research funded by maker of Pro-Stat, Medical Nutrition USA, Inc. in Englewood, New Jersey are published in the journal Advances in Skin and Wound Care.
