Suspension Therapy for Pressure Injuries: A Rediscovered Footnote to Nazi Medicine

Shortly after the end of WWII, a British medical officer inspecting a military hospital in Germany observed a treatment for pressure injuries developed by Nazi doctors.  The officer’s name was Captain James Fulton Neil and his case report was published in the British Medical Journal along with a photograph of the unfortunate patient reproduced above.  The treatment employed suspension by wires drilled into pelvic bones, and I discovered Captain Neil’s article while researching the history of wound care. This post is a summary of my paper recently published in Advances in Skin & Wound Care that describes the article and its historical context.  The patient was a wounded German soldier who developed a deep pressure injury of the sacrum and buttocks that failed to respond to pressure relief. The surgeons placed a wire through each anterior superior iliac spine under local anesthesia and connected the wires to a system of pulleys and counter-weights on a frame that suspended the patient three inches above the bed. Captain Neil informs us that the surgeons had used this device in other cases, and that six weeks was the maximum length of time a patient could be left in this position. The author did not discuss complications of suspension therapy.  One would anticipate that side effects would include problems with pin insertion including pain, bone failure, infection, and complications of immobility such as pneumonia, urinary tract infection, osteoporosis, and others...
Source: Jeffrey M. Levine MD | Geriatric Specialist | Wound Care | Pressure Ulcers - Category: Geriatrics Authors: Tags: Featured Medical Articles Geriatric Medicine Pressure Injuries & Wound Care bedsore bedsores decubiti decubitus ulcer Jeff Levine MD Jeffrey M Levine MD medical history pressure sore pressure sores pressure ulcer pressure ulcers Source Type: blogs