Pressure ulcer summit 2018: An interdisciplinary approach to improve our understanding of the risk of pressure‐induced tissue damage

Region-Based Semi-Two-Stream Convolutional Neural Networks for Pressure Ulcer Recognition

Pressure ulcers are a common, painful, costly, and often preventable complication associated with prolonged immobility in bedridden patients. It is a significant health problem worldwide because it is frequently seen in inpatients and has high treatment costs. For the treatment to be effective and to ensure an international standardization for all patients, it is essential that the diagnosis of pressure ulcers is made in the early stages and correctly. Since invasive methods of obtaining information can be painful for patients, different methods are used to make a correct diagnosis. Image-based diagnosis method is one of them. By using images obtained from patients, it will be possible to obtain successful results by keeping patients away from such painful situations. At this stage, disposable wound rulers are used in clinical practice to measure the length, width, and depth of patients' wounds. The information obtained is then entered into tools such as the Braden Scale, the Norton Scale, and the Waterlow Scale to provide a formal assessment of risk for pressure ulcers. This paper presents a novel benchmark dataset containing pressure ulcer images and a semi-two-stream approach that uses the original images and the cropped wound areas together for diagnosing the stage of pressure ulcers. Various state-of-the-art convolutional neural network (CNN) architectures are evaluated on this dataset. Our experimental results (test accuracy of 93%, the precision of 93%, the recall of 92%, and the F1-score of 93%) show that the proposed semi-two-stream method improves recognition results compared to the base CNN architectures.

Incidence and risk factors for pressure injury in hospitalized non-small cell lung cancer patients: A retrospective observational study

AIM

This study aimed to identify the incidence and risk factors for pressure injury in patients hospitalized for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

METHODS

This retrospective observational study was conducted in 645 adults who were hospitalized for NSCLC. Clinicopathological characteristics were compared between NSCLC patients with pressure injury and those without pressure injury.

RESULTS

Among total 645 patients, 180 patients showed pressure injury with an incidence of 27.9%. Patients with pressure injury showed increased serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (P < 0.001), increased neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (P = 0.002), and increased platelet-lymphocyte ratio (P = 0.001) more often. Increase in serum CRP levels at the time of admission was the major risk factor for development of pressure injury in NSCLC patients (OR = 2.20; 95% CI [1.40-3.45]; P = 0.001). Also, among major inflammatory markers, serum CRP levels at the time of admission showed weak negative correlation with the period from admission to the development of pressure injury (r = -0.216, P = 0.004).

CONCLUSION

By checking serum CRP levels at the time of admission, the NSCLC patients at high risk for the development of pressure injury can be identified in advance and the occurrence of pressure injury can be reduced by applying more active preventive nursing care.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

KCT0006570.

NKG2D Ligand Expression Induced by Oxidative Stress Mitigates Cutaneous Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

Pressure ulcers represent a crucial clinical problem, especially in hospitalized patients. Ischemia-reperfusion (I-R) is an important cause of these lesions. Natural killer (NK), invariant NK T (iNKT), and dendritic epidermal T-cells, which express the natural killer group 2, member D (NKG2D) receptor, have been reported to have physiological roles in skin tissue repair and wound healing. However, a role for NKG2D-NKG2D ligand interactions in I-R-induced skin injury has not been determined. Using a murine pressure ulcer model, we demonstrated that I-R-induced ulcers in NKG2D-deficient mice were larger than those in wild-type or T-cell receptor δ knockout mice. Histopathological evaluation revealed that accumulation of macrophages and neutrophils at the peripheral deep dermis and subcutaneous tissue of the ulcers was enhanced in NKG2D-deficient mice. Rae-1 mRNA, which encodes an NKG2D ligand, was induced, and RAE-1 protein was detected immunohistochemically in fibroblasts and inflammatory cells in the dermis after reperfusion. RAE-1 expression was also increased in primary mouse fibroblasts treated with sodium arsenite. These results suggested that NKG2D ligand expression was induced by oxidative stress after I-R injury and support a putative role for this ligand in wound repair. Furthermore, the influx of NKG2D-positive cells at I-R sites may mitigate pressure ulcers via NKG2D-NKG2D ligand interactions.

Impact of Nutrition on the Prevention and Treatment of Pressure Injuries in Critically Ill Patients: An Integrative Review

OBJECTIVE

To review the main scientific evidence on nutrition in the prevention and treatment of pressure injuries (PIs) in critically ill adult patients.

DATA SOURCES

The searches were carried out in several scientific databases, namely, Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Public MEDLINE (PubMed), Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (LILACS), and Web of Science. The MeSH terms used were "pressure injury", "nutrition", and "intensive care".

STUDY SELECTION

Studies published between January 1, 2005, and July 1, 2020, were included. Seven studies met the eligibility criteria and were included in this review. The searches were carried out in August 2020. The authors selected studies available in Portuguese, English, and Spanish.

DATA EXTRACTION

Two independent researchers conducted the searches and read the article titles and abstracts. The studies that met the inclusion criteria were fully evaluated. Disagreements between reviewers were resolved by consensus, and when there was no consensus, a senior researcher was consulted. Data extraction was performed using a standardized form.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Level-of-evidence analysis according to the type of study followed the classification proposed by the Oxford Center Evidence-Based Medicine. The evidence available on the use of standard enteral nutrition therapy and enteral nutrition therapy enriched with hyperprotein and hypercaloric nutrition supplements as well as the addition of zinc, eicosapentaenoic acid, γ-linolenic acid, and vitamins (A, C, D, and E) is limited in terms of supporting a specific nutrition support modality in the prevention and treatment of PI in the intensive care population.

CONCLUSIONS

Malnutrition negatively impacts both the prevention and healing of PIs. The evidence available on the use of standard enteral nutrition therapy versus enrichment with nutrition supplements is too limited to support a specific nutrition modality in the prevention and treatment of PI in the intensive care population.

Phototherapy (cluster multi-diode 630 nm and 940 nm) on the healing of pressure injury: A pilot study

The therapeutic benefits of LED in wound care have been reported since the 1990s. Nevertheless, studies directly related to the effects of LED phototherapy on the venous and arterial circulation and the healing process of pressure injuries are scarce in literature. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a LED phototherapy prototype in participants with pressure injuries. In this pilot study 15 participants were randomized into three therapeutic groups. The experimental groups received applications of 630 and 940 nm LED three times a week for 8 weeks, with a dose of 6 J/cm² in Group I. In group II, a dose of 8 J/cm² in addition to the standard treatment. Group III (control group) received only daily standard treatment which consisted of cleaning the lesioned area with physiological solution, followed by application of an alginate hydrogel dressing over a period of 8 weeks. Pressure injuries were photographed and the area was measured by the Quantikov® image analyzer software. There was no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) between the three groups when assessing the initial lesion area. At the end of 2 months, the median and interquartile ranges of the injuries were 5.90 (0.79-9.5) cm² for group I, 0.54 (0.47-1.16) cm² for group II and 26.76 (17.25-41.05) for group III. There was a statistically significant difference between treatment types (I x III and II x III) for pressure injuries over the 21 sessions. However, there was no significant difference between groups I x II that received different doses of LED phototherapy. The initial hypothesis was supported given that the combination of two wavelengths in the LED phototherapy with different doses may be helpful in accelerating the healing of pressure injuries.

Use of Honey Versus Standard Care for Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injury in Critically Ill Children: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVES

To examine if the use of honey (medicated) for dressing is superior to standard care in terms of time to complete wound healing in stages 1-3 of pressure injuries in children admitted to the PICU.

DESIGN

Multicenter, open-label, parallel-group, randomized trial.

SETTING

Tertiary-care PICU from August 2017 to January 2019.

PATIENTS

Critically ill children, 2 months to 17 years old, who developed pressure injury (stages 1-3) were included; those on more than two inotropes or with signs of acute wound infection or wounds with greater than 5 cm diameter or known allergy to honey were excluded.

INTERVENTIONS

Children were randomized to receive either medicated honey dressing or standard (routine) wound care for the management of their pressure injury.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

The primary outcome was the time to complete wound healing. Manuka or active Leptospermum honey dressing/gel was used in the intervention group. Enrolled children were followed up until death or discharge from the hospital. A total of 99 children were enrolled: 51 in the intervention group and 48 in the standard care group. Baseline characteristics, including the nutritional status, were comparable between the groups. The most common sites of injury were bony prominences at face mask contact points. The median time to complete healing was 7 days (95% CI, 6-7 d) versus 9 days (7-10 d) in the intervention and standard care groups, respectively (p = 0.002; log-rank test). At any random time, children in the intervention group were about 1.9-fold more likely to have their pressure injury completely healed than those in the standard care group (hazard ratio 1.86; 95% CI, 1.21-2.87). There were no allergic reactions or secondary wound infections in the intervention group.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of medicated honey dressings decreased the time to wound healing in critically ill children with pressure injuries. There were no allergic reactions or secondary bacterial infections in any of these children.

In Vitro Characterization of Pressure Redistribution Among Commercially Available Wound Dressings

OBJECTIVE

Recent clinical evidence has suggested that certain wound dressings may play a significant role in protocols to prevent or reduce pressure injury (PI) in patients at risk by modifying the pressure, friction, and shear forces that can contribute to PI. The aim of this study was to investigate the pressure reduction properties of commercially available wound dressings in vitro.

METHODS

Using a standardized protocol (1.7 kg, 7.5-cm sphere), testing was performed in a controlled environment by the same clinician using a pressure mapping device (XSENSOR LX205; XSENSOR Technology Corporation, Calgary, Alberta, Canada) to measure and compare the pressure mitigation properties in a variety of wound dressings.

RESULTS

A total of 13 different commercially available dressings were tested in triplicate for changes in pressure redistribution as compared with the control. One dressing demonstrated the greatest reduction of pressure forces (OxyBand PR; 50.33 ± 1.45 mm Hg) compared with the control (302.7 ± 0.33 mm Hg) and the greatest surface area of all the study dressings tested. There was a negative correlation (R2 = 0.73) between the average pressure distribution of a wound dressing and its contact area. Further, the peak pressure for OxyBand PR (P ≤ .05) was significantly different from all other tested dressings.

CONCLUSIONS

One dressing (OxyBand PR) provided superior pressure redistribution and significantly reduced peak pressure in this study when compared with currently available standard foam and silicone dressings that are marketed for the purpose of PI prevention.

Effect of Prolonged Pressure on Hemodynamics of Sacral Tissues Assessed by Diffuse Optical Imaging: A Pilot Study

Pressure injuries (PIs) are wounds resulting from prolonged pressure exerting on the skin and underlying tissues over bony prominences (e.g., lower back, heels, shoulders) in bed-bound patients and wheelchair users. Minimizing pressure has long been considered the most effective preventative method, and current guidelines require visual skin inspection and repositioning every two hours. However, these strategies are often applied deficiently and do not adequately prevent PIs from becoming penetrating wounds. Recent studies attribute the development of PIs to cell deformation, inflammatory, and ischemic damages that cumulatively propagate from the microscale (death of few cells) to the macroscale (tissue necrosis) within one to several hours. Although the nature of the PI pathogenesis is complex and multifactorial, measuring tissue alterations in real-time may elucidate the origination mechanism and ultimately allow detecting PIs at the earliest stage. In this pilot study, we evaluated the ability of diffuse optical imaging (DOI) to assess hemodynamic changes resulting from prolonged pressure on the sacral tissues in five healthy volunteers laying immobile in a supine position for 2 hours. A thin, body-conforming optical imaging probe encompassing 256 optodes arranged in a regularly spaced grid over a 160 × 160 mm area was used to construct DOI volumetric images representing changes of oxyhemoglobin (HbO2) and deoxyhemoglobin (HHb) concentration from a zeroed baseline. After 2 hours of continuous body weight pressure, hemodynamic images in all subjects were substantially dissimilar from their individual baseline. We also found that hemodynamic similarity computed pairwise across subjects exhibited a high value and limited variability around the mean, thus denoting a consistent level of image similarity across subjects. These preliminary results indicate that prolonged pressure causes distinctive hemodynamic patterns that can be effectively investigated with DOI and that monitoring functional changes over time holds potential for clarifying the development mechanisms of PIs.

Exploring the role of transtibial prosthetic use in deep tissue injury development: a scoping review

Background

The soft tissue of the residual limb in transtibial prosthetic users encounters unique biomechanical challenges. Although not intended to tolerate high loads and deformation, it becomes a weight-bearing structure within the residuum-prosthesis-complex. Consequently, deep soft tissue layers may be damaged, resulting in Deep Tissue Injury (DTI). Whilst considerable effort has gone into DTI research on immobilised individuals, only little is known about the aetiology and population-specific risk factors in amputees. This scoping review maps out and critically appraises existing research on DTI in lower-limb prosthetic users according to (1) the population-specific aetiology, (2) risk factors, and (3) methodologies to investigate both.

Results

A systematic search within the databases Pubmed, Ovid Excerpta Medica, and Scopus identified 16 English-language studies. The results indicate that prosthetic users may be at risk for DTI during various loading scenarios. This is influenced by individual surgical, morphological, and physiological determinants, as well as the choice of prosthetic componentry. However, methodological limitations, high inter-patient variability, and small sample sizes complicate the interpretation of outcome measures. Additionally, fundamental research on cell and tissue reactions to dynamic loading and on prosthesis-induced alterations of the vascular and lymphatic supply is missing.

Conclusion

We therefore recommend increased interdisciplinary research endeavours with a focus on prosthesis-related experimental design to widen our understanding of DTI. The results have the potential to initiate much-needed clinical advances in surgical and prosthetic practice and inform future pressure ulcer classifications and guidelines.

A low incidence of perineal hernia when using a biological mesh after extralevator abdominoperineal excision with or without pelvic exenteration or distal sacral resection in locally advanced rectal cancer patients

Background

Extralevator abdominoperineal excision (ELAPE), abdominoperineal excision (APE) or pelvic exenteration (PE) with or without sacral resection (SR) for locally advanced rectal cancer leaves a significant defect in the pelvic floor. At first, this defect was closed primarily. To prevent perineal hernias, the use of a biological mesh to restore the pelvic floor has been increasing. The aim of this study, was to evaluate the outcome of the use of a biological mesh after ELAPE, APE or PE with/without SR.

Methods

A retrospective study was conducted on patients who had ELAPE, APE or PE with/without SR with a biological mesh (Permacol™) for pelvic reconstruction in rectal cancer in our center between January 2012 and April 2015. The endpoints were the incidence of perineal herniation and wound healing complications.

Results

Data of 35 consecutive patients [22 men, 13 women; mean age 62 years (range 31–77 years)] were reviewed. Median follow-up was 24 months (range 0.4–64 months). Perineal hernia was reported in 3 patients (8.6%), and was asymptomatic in 2 of them. The perineal wound healed within 3 months in 37.1% (n = 13), within 6 months in 51.4% (n = 18) and within 1 year in 62.9% (n = 22). In 17.1% (n = 6), the wound healed after 1 year. It was not possible to confirm perineal wound healing in the remaining 7 patients (20.0%) due to death or loss to follow-up. Wound dehiscence was reported in 18 patients (51.4%), 9 of whom needed vacuum-assisted closure therapy, surgical closure or a flap reconstruction.

Conclusions

Closure of the perineal wound after (EL)APE with a biological mesh is associated with a low incidence of perineal hernia. Wound healing complications in this high-risk group of patients are comparable to those reported in the literature.