Introduction: Pressure sores, especially at the heel, are a side effect of the cast.
Aim: To assess the incidence of late skin complications (heel pressure sores) of a cast and determine risk factors.
Methods: All consecutive patients treated with a leg cast over a 16 months observation time were recruited. Risk factors were identified by the nurse that placed the cast and skin lesions classified with the NPUAP scale when the cast was removed.
Results: In the 216 enrolled patients 17.6% (38) developed a pressure sore: 16/124 in orthopedic wards; 22/92 in oncology wards. The multivariate analysis identified the following risk factors: administration of cytotoxic drugs (p = 0.033; OR = 2.61; having a cancer did not increase the risk); skin redness before cast application (p = 0.001; OR = 4.44) and having reported symptoms after the application (p = 0.000; OR = 7.86). Pressure sores were mainly stage 1 and only 6/216 (2.4%) > or = stage II. The type of plaster cast, the material, the number of days it was worn and having had a surgery are not significant risk factors.
Conclusions: Pressure sores related to leg plaster casts are a frequent complication in at risk sub-groups. The acknowledgement and identification of specific risk factors may allow to identify and evaluate preventive interventions to improve the care of these patients.