Use of Melaleuca Essential Oil in Healing Pressure Injuries (LP): Case Series

To monitor and describe the healing process of pressure injuries (PI) grades I, II, III, and IV using tea tree essential oil (TTEO). A descriptive-exploratory study, using a multiple case study approach, was developed by monitoring patients with PI at different stages in a teaching hospital in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, from July to October 2021. The Bates-Jensen Wound Assessment Tool (BWAT) was used to assess wound characteristics. The study included 11 male patients hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the COVID-19 and clinical-surgical inpatient unit, with eleven PIs predominantly grade III in the sacral region. Regarding the characteristics evaluated by BWAT, a favorable progression in the lesions was observed in the following items when comparing the first and third days of TTEO use: peripheral skin color, exudate type, granulation tissue, wound edges, exudate amount, and epithelialization. However, an increase in scores was noted for necrotic tissue amount, undermining, necrotic tissue type, size, and depth, indicating regression in these aspects. The pharmaceutical formulations used in this study not only highlighted the benefits of TTEO in the healing process but also reinforced its advantages for being natural and more cost-effective compared to existing commercial formulations on the market.