Table 7 Baseline demographics and clinical characteristics of trial participants

Gender (n)

5 male, 7 female

Age*

67.5 (54.5 to 82.0) years

Care setting (n) and patients location

3 acute: general ward (n = 3)

9 community: patient’s home (n = 8), nursing home (n = 1).

Reference ulcer grade

Grade III (n = 7)

Grade IV (n = 5)

Reference ulcer location:

Heel (n)

1

Trochanter (n)

1

Sacrum (n)

5

Buttocks/gluteal (n)

3

Ischial (n)

2

Pressure ulcer dimensions:

Width*

3.0 (2.0 to 3.8) cm

Depth*

4.0 (2.2 to 6.5) cm

Length*

5.0 (4.0 to 7.2) cm

Duration of reference ulcer*

4.0 (2.2 to 28.5) months

Time elapsed since development of first pressure ulcer*

24.0 (3.0 to 144.0) months

Number of patients with an infected reference ulcer (n)

0

Number of patients with osteomyelitis (n)

0

Number of patients who had a previous pressure ulcer at the same location as the current reference ulcer (n)

3

Number of co-morbidities (n)*

2.5 (2.0 to 5.0)

Number of patients with grade I/II pressure ulcer(s) in addition to the reference pressure ulcer (n patients)

0 grade I/II (n = 2 patients)

1 grade I/II (n = 5 patients)

3 grade I/II (n = 1 patient)

Not recorded (n = 4 patients)

Number of grade III/IV pressure ulcer(s) in patients (n patients)

1 grade III/IV pressure ulcer (n = 8 patients)

2 grade III/IV pressure ulcers (n = 2 patients)

3 grade III/IV pressure ulcers (n = 1 patient)

4 grade III/IV pressure ulcers (n = 1 patient)

Treatment preference

Prefer NPWT (n = 3)

Prefer SC (n = 1)

No preference (n = 8)

Number of patients able to complete the visual analogue pain scale (n)

9

Visual analogue pain scale score*

0.6 (0.2 to 3.9) cm