Abstract
Study design:
This was a prospective cohort study.
Objectives:
The objective was to describe the incidence, prevalence, characteristics of pressure ulcers (PUs) and the association with specific patient characteristics in a consecutive sample of in-patients with a spinal cord injury (SCI).
Setting:
An acute care and rehabilitation clinic specialized in SCIs in Switzerland.
Methods:
The presence and characteristics of PUs for all adult patients with a SCI admitted to the clinic from 1 September 2009 to 28 February 2010 were recorded on a daily basis during their complete hospitalization. Risk factors were analyzed in univariate and multivariate logistic regression models.
Results:
A total of 185 patients were included in the study and observed for the entirety of their hospitalization. The prevalence of at least one PU was 49.2% in all patients, compared with 25.4% in the group of patients admitted without PUs. The incidence was 2.2 per person and year. In 91 patients, a total of 219 PUs were observed. PUs were most frequently located on the foot (36.1%), and the coccyx/sacrum (15.1%). The risk for occurrence of a PU increased with age (odds ratio (OR)=1.04) and post SCI (OR=1.03). In the multivariate analyses, the risk for PUs was lower for patients with the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (AIS) of C or D (ORC=0.25, ORD=0.28) compared with patients with an AIS of A.
Conclusion:
Using a daily documentation system, PUs were detected as a frequent complication of SCIs. Completeness of injury, age and time since injury were significant risk factors for PUs. The foot was a region at high risk for PUs.
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Acknowledgements
We thank all the professionals at the SPZ for contributing to the data collection and Karin Gläsche as the supervising and main responsible nurse. We also thank Jonviea Chamberlain for rereading and correcting the English language.
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Scheel-Sailer, A., Wyss, A., Boldt, C. et al. Prevalence, location, grade of pressure ulcers and association with specific patient characteristics in adult spinal cord injury patients during the hospital stay: a prospective cohort study. Spinal Cord 51, 828–833 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.2013.91
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.2013.91
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