Pressure Injury Development in Patients Treated by Critical Care Air Transport Teams: A Case-Control Study

Area of Science:

• Military Medicine
• Critical Care Transport
• Patient Safety

Background:

• US Air Force transports critically ill patients globally, with long flight durations (6-11 hours).
• Traditional pressure injury prevention methods are challenging in military air transport.
• Limited outcome data exists for these high-risk patient transports.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the incidence rate of en route pressure injuries.
• To identify risk factors associated with pressure injury development.
• To inform targeted interventions for patient safety during critical care air transport.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective, case-control study design.
• Medical records review of patients transported by the Critical Care Air Transport Team (CCATT).
• Comparison of patients who developed pressure injuries versus those who did not.

Main Results:

• The overall pressure injury rate was 4.9%.
• Risk factors identified include high body mass index (BMI) and multiple CCATT transports (≥2) per patient.
• Regression analysis confirmed BMI and transport frequency as significant predictors.

Conclusions:

• The 4.9% pressure injury rate is comparable to civilian critical care units, but requires careful interpretation.
• Targeted interventions for patients with high BMI and frequent transports are recommended.
• Proactive strategies may reduce pressure injury incidence in this unique patient population.