Investigation of Urinary Catheter-related Pressure Injury Development in Patients in the Intensive Care Unit

This study was conducted to investigate the development of urinary catheter-related pressure injury (UCPI) in patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU).

This descriptive study included 60 patients with urinary catheters who were hospitalized in the adult ICU of a training and research hospital in Istanbul between January and June 2024. Patient Information Form, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Braden Risk Assessment Scale, Urinary Catheter-Related Pressure Injury Assessment Form, and Pressure Injury Staging and Follow-up Form were used to collect data.

The majority of patients (53.3%) were female, their mean age was 74.42±16.17 years, the mean length of stay in the ICU was 19.25±26.73 days, 90% were immobile, and the mean duration of urinary catheterization was 19.25±26.73 days. Urinary catheter-related pressure injury developed in 78.3% of the patients, PI developed on the outer side of the left thigh in 46.7%, and the mean duration of UCPI development was 2.47±1.86 days. Urinary catheter-related PI did not occur in 83.3% of the patients on the first day, 80% on the second day, and 60% on the third day; Stage 1 UCPI developed in 60% on the fourth day, and Stage 1 UCPI developed in 73.3% on the fifth day. In addition, body mass index, duration of mechanical ventilation, and the time of urinary catheter application were effective variables in the development of UCPI.

The risk of UCPI increases as the duration of medical device use becomes longer, and urinary catheters are one of the most common devices associated with medical device-related PIs. Although the risk of PI associated with urinary catheters is high in the ICU, appropriate precautions, risk assessment, evidence-based practices, and early implementation of appropriate nursing interventions may allow the prevention of PI.