Risk Factors for Pressure Ulcer in Severe Trauma Patients

Abstract

Purpose: This study identifies risks for pressure ulcer in patients admitted to surgical intensive care units because of severe traumatic injuries with injury severity scores of 15 or higher. Methods: Data was collected from records of patients admitted from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2013. The analysis addressed general characteristics, trauma-related characteristics, and treatment-related characteristics of pressure ulcers. Descriptive statistics include the raw numbers, percentages, and the standard deviations. Hypothesis tests including t-tests, chi-square tests, and multi-regression analyses were performed using SPSS ver.dow 12.0. Results: Two hundred and fifty-nine patients were admitted to surgical intensive care units with severe trauma injuries. Of those, 44 patients (17.0%) had a pressure ulcer. The mean pressure ulcer duration was 8.4 days. The most common pressure ulcer was the second phase ulcer at 51.9%. Risk factors were found to be age (p<0.001), shock (p<0.021), and the fixture device (p<0.020). Conclusion: Early nursing interventions are necessary to prevent a pressure ulcer in patients with severe trauma injuries admitted to surgical intensive care units.

Keywords

• intensive care units
• pressure ulcer
• trauma