Can a simple oil stop bedsores before they start?
NCT ID NCT07547254
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a topical oil made from palmitoleic acid can prevent pressure injuries (bedsores) in hospitalized adults at high risk. Sixty participants will apply the oil to their lower back four times daily for two weeks. Researchers will monitor skin moisture and oxygen levels to see if the oil reduces early signs of damage.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- palmitoleic acid oil
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, non-invasive way to prevent painful pressure injuries in bedridden patients.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 60 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The oil may not reduce injury risk more than standard care.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Adult inpatients (aged above 18 years). * High risk for sacral pressure injuries, objectively defined by an abnormal hydration status (Sacral Subepidermal Moisture \[SEM\] Delta \> 0.5) at screening. Exclusion Criteria: * Medical contraindications to standard repositioning protocols (e.g., unstable pelvic fractures). * Use of topical medications or advanced prophylactic dressings on the sacrum within 14 days prior to enrollment. * Active peripheral vascular disease significantly impairing local tissue perfusion. * Documented hypersensitivity to the investigational product (POA) or its vehicle components.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine
Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, 200025, China
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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