Assessing the efficacy of ultrasound deep tissue evaluation in predicting hospital-acquired pressure injuries: A...

This diagnostic study aimed to assess the efficacy of ultrasound deep tissue evaluation in predicting hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs). We performed a prospective analysis of 110 patients at risk for HAPIs between March 2023 and December 2024. All study participants underwent ultrasound deep tissue evaluations and the diagnosis of HAPIs. In addition, the Braden Scale, the Norton Scale, and the Waterlow Scale were all used for predicting HAPIs and compared with ultrasound deep tissue evaluation. Differences in some potential risk factors for HAPIs between the non-HAPI group (n = 41) and HAPI group (n = 69) were observed. The results of ROC analysis showed that in ultrasound deep tissue evaluation, the area under the curve for predicting HAPIs was 0.898, superior to those in the Norton Scale score, the Braden Scale score, the Waterlow Scale score, and age. Meanwhile, its maximum Youden index, cutoff, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, positive likelihood ratio, and negative likelihood ratio values were 0.665, 1.5, 0.884, 0.781, 0.871, 0.800, 4.03, and 0.15, respectively. We can see that ultrasound deep tissue evaluation may be a valuable method for early predicting HAPIs. However, it should also be recognized that the popularization of this technology and the homogenization of its operators will be the core links in promoting this technology among more patients.