Key factors for the development of pressure ulcers in surgical practice

Authors

VEVERKOVÁ Lenka REŠKA Michal VLČEK Petr ČAPOV Ivan HABR Jakub KONEČNÝ Jan DOLEŽAL Petr

Year of publication 2019
Type Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source CESKA A SLOVENSKA NEUROLOGIE A NEUROCHIRURGIE
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Medicine

Citation
Web https://www.csnn.eu/en/journals/czech-and-slovak-neurology-and-neurosurgery/current-issue
Doi http://dx.doi.org/10.14735/amcsnn2019S60
Keywords pressure ulcers; pressure sore; risk assessment; incidence; surgical patient; age; gender
Description Aim: Pressure ulcers represent a major postoperative complication. We retrospectively analyse data and identify risk factors for the development of pressure ulcers in patients undergoing surgery at the 1st Surgical Clinic of St. Anne’s Hospital in Brno between 2017 and 2018. Methods: We used data from the hospital’s information system and a purpose-built electronic database (I-hojeni.cz). Statistical analysis was performed using Pearson‘s chi-square at a significance level of 0.05, the variables used included: age, Body Mass Index (BMI), number and grade of pressure ulcers and comorbidities (history of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, chronic renal failure, neurological and oncological diseases). Results: 5,851 inpatients underwent surgery (91.15% of the total of 6,419) between 2017 and 2018. Pressure ulcers newly developed in 86 patients (1.46%), 40 men and 46 women. The patients’ average age was 79.85, age was confirmed as a predictive factor for pressure ulcer formation. The average BMI value was 24.13, the relationship between BMI and development of pressure ulcers was not statistically significant. The average pressure ulcer grade was 2.04 and the average number per patient 1.5. Pressure ulcers mostly developed on the heels, buttocks and sacrum. On average the period between a patient’s admission and operation was 2.79 days (0–16 days), it did not prove to be a factor. 56 patients (65.11%) had a history of neurological disorder – a predictive factor – the correlation was not statistically significant, similarly to oncological diseases 30 (24.41%), 19 patients (22.09%) with pressure ulcers died. Conclusion: Our study is unique in expanding our understanding of multiple risk factors for the development of pressure ulcers, it suggests that age and a history of neurological disorder in particular are key risk factors while other risk factors generally considered to be significant (mobility, nutritional factors) did not prove so.
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