Factors aggravating the stage of pressure injury in dyspneic patients

This study aimed to identify the aggravating factors of pressure injuries and provide basic data for prevention and effective nursing interventions for patients with dyspnea.

This secondary analysis using electronic medical records from patients with dyspnea who developed pressure injuries after admission to the general wards of five hospitals in Korea between March 2022 and May 2022. Data were collected using a standardized case report form to gather information on clinical characteristics and pressure injuries.

The mean age of the 214 patients was 71.6 ± 10.99 years. Common comorbidities included diabetes mellitus (43.4 %) and cardiovascular diseases (21.5 %). Most patients (94.4 %) required oxygen therapy. At the time of pressure injury occurrence, the Braden scale scores ≤16 was 74.3 % at pressure injury occurrence. Pressure injuries were classified as stage 1 (25.5 %), stage 2 or higher (58.4 %), and unstageable (18.1 %). The multivariate analysis revealed that fecal incontinence (odds ratio [OR]: 0.12, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 0.04-0.42), albumin ≥3.5 g/dl (OR: 0.57, 95 % CI: 0.34-0.95) and use of restraints (OR: 3.57, 95 % CI: 1.53-8.30) were significant predictive factors for advanced stage pressure injury.

This study identified fecal incontinence, albumin level, the use of restrains as a significant predictive factors for advanced stage pressure injury in dyspneic patients. These highlight the need for tailored preventive strategies and monitoring, particularly for patients requiring restraints, to reduce the incidence and severity of pressure injury in this population.