The effect of support surface on the prevention of pressure injury in acute care settings: A multi-center prospective observational study

PURPOSE

This study aimed to analyze if a multi-foam core mattress with a laminated cover can reduce the incidence of pressure injuries, compared to an alternating air mattress overlay among critically ill patients in acute settings.

DESIGN

Prospective observational study.

PARTICIPANTS

and setting: Patients with a Braden scale score ≤16 on intensive care unit admission at five general hospitals in Korea were included in this study between February 2022 and March 2022.

METHODS

One hundred and twenty patients in acute settings were enrolled and categorized into two groups: a multi-form core mattress with a laminated cover group (n = 60) and an alternating air mattress overlay group (n = 60). Data were collected for 7 days by wound care nurses.

RESULTS

Pressure injury developed at a significantly lower rate in the multi-form core mattress with a laminated cover group (n = 4/60, 6.7 %) than in the alternating air mattress overlay group (n = 25/60, 25.0 %) (P = 0.011). Using a multi-foam core mattress with a laminated cover demonstrated a protective effect against pressure injuries (odds ratio 0.123, 95 % confidence interval 0.024-0.620, P = 0.011).

CONCLUSIONS

A multi-foam core mattress with a laminated cover was significantly more effective than an alternating air mattress overlay in preventing pressure injury in critically ill patients.

Aetiology, risk factors and treatment of typical and atypical pressure ulcers in patients with traumatic brain injury: A narrative review

Pressure ulcers are one of the leading complications in bedridden patients that result in multiple burdens on healthcare systems and patients (11 billion dollars/year). The prevalence of pressure ulcers in traumatic brain injury patients is 1.5-fold compared with the other bedridden patients. Moreover, critical traumatic brain injury patients who are admitted to the intensive care unit experience severe pressure ulcers and further complications. The motor/sensory disabilities and low supplementation and oxygenation to the pressured side were the main mechanisms of the typical pressure ulcers. Intellectual evaluation is the first essential step to prevent the development of pressure ulcers in high-risk patients. Till now, different scales, including Injury Scale Score and Braden Scale Score, have been provided to assess the pressure ulcer. Since low stages of pressure ulcers heal rapidly, traumatic brain injury patients require a periodical assessment to prevent further developments timely. Alongside different procedures provided to prevent and treat any pressure ulcer, traumatic brain injury patients required additional specific protections. For the first line, fast and efficient rehabilitation repairs motor/sensory disabilities and decreases the chance of pressure ulcer. Our review indicated that pressure ulcer in traumatic brain injury had several complex mechanisms that demand special care. Therefore, further studies are required to address these mechanisms and prevent their progression to typical and atypical pressure ulcers.

Factors Associated with Pressure Injury Among Critically Ill Patients in a Coronary Care Unit

OBJECTIVE

To ascertain the incidence of pressure injuries (PIs) in patients in the coronary care unit (CCU), identify PI characteristics, and determine associated risk factors.

METHODS

Researchers conducted a retrospective investigational study of patients' medical records. A total of 820 patients who were admitted to the CCU between January 2018 and December 2020 met the study criteria. Of these, 200 patients who developed PIs after admission to the CCU were included in this study. This study examined the clinical features of PIs, as well as five PI risk factors: patient characteristics; length of stay; intrinsic factors; care factors, including medical devices; and vasopressor agents.

RESULTS

The incidence of PIs among patients in the CCU was 24.4%. At initial detection, 79.5% of these injuries were already at stage 2 or higher. The results indicated a significant correlation between PI stage and hemoglobin level. Moreover, the authors also found relationships between the use of medical devices (eg, arterial catheters, oxygen tubes, and Levin tubes) and PI onset.

CONCLUSIONS

Critically ill patients in the CCU use various medical devices for an extended period with severe consequences. The risk factors affecting PI are multifactorial. Therefore, the implementation of PI prevention and early detection strategies for patients in the CCU are crucial.

Risk Factors Associated With Pressure Ulcers in Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit

Pressure injuries (PIs) are one of the most important and frequent complications in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) or those with traumatic brain injury (TBI). The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence and risk factors of PIs in patients with TBI admitted to the ICU. In this retrospective study, the medical records of 237 patients with TBI admitted to the trauma ICU of a university hospital were examined. Demographic, trauma-related, and treatment-related characteristics of all the patients were evaluated from their records. The incidence of PIs was 13.9%, while the main risk factors were a higher injury severity score, use of mechanical ventilation, vasopressor infusion, lower Braden Scale score, fever, and period of enteral feeding. This study advances the nursing practice in the ICU by predicting the development of PIs and their characteristics in patients with TBI.

The effect of uncoated paper application on skin moisture, risk of pressure injury and incidence of pressure injury in neurologic intensive care unit patients: A randomized controlled trial

AIM

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of uncoated paper on skin moisture, pressure injury risk and pressure injury incidence in neurological intensive care unit patients.

METHODS

A randomized controlled design was used. The experimental group (n = 68) received usual care (repositioning every 2 h and use of an air mattress) and application of uncoated paper on the sacral area for 5 days, whereas the control group (n = 67) received only usual care. A repeated measures analysis of variance was used to determine changes in the skin moisture and risk of pressure injury between the groups. A chi-squared test was used to determine the change in the incidence of pressure injuries for sacral area. Data were collected from 20 October 2017 to 6 March 2018.

RESULTS

There were statistically significant differences in the skin moisture and risk of pressure injuries between the experimental and control groups. However, a significant difference was not observed in the incidence of pressure injuries between the groups.

CONCLUSION

The use of uncoated paper may be a valid nursing intervention for the prevention of pressure injuries in neurological intensive care unit patients.

Medical device-related pressure ulcer (MDRPU) in acute care hospitals and its perceived importance and prevention performance by clinical nurses

The incidence rate of patients developing pressure ulcers associated with medical device use is underreported in Korea. This study aims to determine clinical nurses' perceived importance and performance towards medical device-related pressure injury prevention. A total of 620 nurses from seven hospitals attending continuing education programmes in Korea responded to self-administered questionnaires. Data were collected from March to December 2017 on a 4-point-Likert scale on nurses' perceived importance and performance for prevention of medical device-related pressure ulcer (MDRPU). Secondary data analysis was performed through reported pressure injury incidence, and questionnaire data were analysed using descriptive statistics, t-test, and anova. The overall rates of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers and MDRPU were 16.9% and 0.8%, respectively. The proportion of MDRPU was 5.02%. Its perceived importance (3.56 ± 0.48) was also higher than prevention performance (3.13 ± 0.90) among nurses. Education level and participation in pressure injury management training was found to enhance prevention performance by nurses. Therefore, informational and educational programmes based on clinical practice are necessary for clinical nurses to focus on perceived importance and performance towards prevention of medical device-related pressure injury and pressure ulcer care.

Use of prophylactic silicone adhesive dressings for maintaining skin integrity in intensive care unit patients: A randomised controlled trial

The aims of this randomised controlled study were to determine whether the application of silicone adhesive dressings with standard preventive care would reduce the impairment of skin integrity and to evaluate the subepidermal moisture (SEM) value in anatomical locations to predict impairment of skin integrity. Of the 71 intensive care unit patients enrolled, 35 and 31 were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups, respectively. The SEM value was measured at each site (the coccyx, sacrum, and both buttocks) repeatedly three times at every dressing change. Collected data were analysed by multivariate linear regression, and least square means analysis was used to compare the SEM value at the sites of pressure injury (PI) and blanching erythema. There were fewer PIs (1 vs 9) and incidences of blanching erythema (5 vs 6) in the intervention group than in the control group (P = 0.006). The SEM value and difference of the SEM value from the initial value was higher in the group with PIs than in the group without PIs (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.001, respectively). There was a statistically significant difference in the incidence of impaired skin integrity between the groups. The SEM value may be an indicator for detecting impairment of skin integrity.

[Factors Predicting the Interface Pressure Related to Pressure Injury in Intensive Care Unit Patients]

PURPOSE

Interface pressure is a factor that contributes to the occurrence of pressure injuries. This study aimed to investigate interface pressure at common sites of pressure injury (occipital, gluteal and peritrochanteric areas), to explore the relationships among risk factors, skin condition and interface pressure, and to identify risk factors influencing interface pressure.

METHODS

A total of 100 patients admitted to the intensive care unit were enrolled at a tertiary teaching hospital in Korea. Interface pressure was recorded by a scanning aid device (PalmQ). Patient data regarding age, pulmonary disease, Braden Scale score, body mass index, serum albumin, hemoglobin, mean blood pressure, body temperature, and oxygen saturation were included as risk factors. Data collected from July to September 2016 were analyzed using binary logistic regression.

RESULTS

The mean interface pressure of the occipital, gluteal, and right and left peritrochanteric areas were 37.96 (±14.90), 41.15 (±16.04), 53.44 (±24.67), and 54.33 (±22.80) mmHg, respectively. Predictive factors for pressure injuries in the occipital area were age ≥70 years (OR 3.45, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.19~9.98), serum albumin deficit (OR 2.88, 95% CI: 1.00~8.26) and body temperature ≥36.5℃ (OR 3.12, 95% CI: 1.17~8.17); age ≥70 years (OR 2.81, 95% CI: 1.10~7.15) in the right peritrochanteric area; and body temperature ≥36.5℃ (OR 2.86, 95% CI: 1.17~6.98) in the left peritrochanteric area.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that old age, hypoalbuminemia, and high body temperature may be contributory factors to increasing interface pressure; therefore, careful assessment and nursing care of these patients are needed to prevent pressure injury. Further studies are needed to establish cutoff values of interface pressure for patients with pressure ulcers.