Logistic Regression Analysis and Nursing Interventions for High-risk Factors for Pressure Sores in Patients in a Surgical Intensive Care Unit

Objective： To investigate the risk factors related to the development of pressure sores in critically ill surgical patients and to establish a basis for the formulation of effective precautions. Methods： A questionnaire regarding the factors for pressure sores in critically ill surgical patients was created using a case control study with reference to the pertinent literature. After being exam- ined and validated by experts, the questionnaire was used to collect data about critically ill surgical patients in a grade A tertiary hospital. Among the 47 patients enrolled into the study, the 14 who developed nosocomial pressure sores were allocated to the pressure sore group, and the remaining 33 patients who met the inclusion criteria and did not exhibit pressure sores were allocated to the control group. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to examine the differences in 22 indicators between the two groups in an attempt to identify the risk factors for pressure sores. Results： According to the univariate analyses, the maximum value of lactic acid in the arterial blood, the number of days of norepinephrine use, the number of days of mechanical ventilation, the number of days of blood purification, and the number of days of bowel incontinence were statistically greater in the pressure sore group than in the control group （P〈0.05）. The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the number of days of norepinephrine use and the level of lactic acid in the arterial blood were high risk-factors for pressure sores （P〈0.05）. Conclusions： The best method for preventing and control pressure sores in surgical critically ill patients is to strongly emphasize the duration of the critical status and to give special attention to patients in a continuous state of shock. The adoption of measures specific to high-risk patient groups and risk factors, including the active control of primary diseases and the application of decompression measures during the treatment of the patients, are helpful for improving the quality of care in the prevention and control of pressure sores in critically ill patients.

Studying pressure sores through illuminant invariant assessment of digital color images

Methods for pressure sore monitoring remain both a clinical and research challenge.Improved methodologies could assist physicians in developing prompt and effective pressure sore interventions.In this paper a technique is introduced for the assessment of pressure sores in guinea pigs,using captured color images.Sores were artificially induced,utilizing a system particularly developed for this purpose.Digital images were obtained from the suspicious region in days 3 and 7 post-pressure sore generation.Different segments of the color images were divided and labeled into three classes,based on their severity status.For quantitative analysis,a color based texture model,which is invariant against monotonic changes in illumination,is proposed.The texture model has been developed based on the local binary pattern operator.Tissue segments were classified,using the texture model and its features as inputs to a combination of neural networks.Our method is capable of discriminating tissue segments in different stages of pressure sore generation,and therefore can be a feasible tool for the early assessment of pressure sores.

Occipital pressure sores in two neonates

The preference for a specific head shape can be influenced by people's culture,religious beliefs and race.Modern Chinese people prefer a"talented"head shape,which is rounded and has a long profile.To obtain their preferred head shape,some parents try to change their neonates'sleeping position.Due to these forced sleeping positions,positional skull deformities,such as plagiocephaly,may be present during the first few months of life.In this article,we report two neonatal cases,of Hui nationality and Dongxiang nationality,with occipital pressure sores that were caused by using hard objects as pillows with the intention of obtaining a flattened occiput.The pressure sores were deep to the occipital bone and needed surgical management.These pressure sores caused wounds that were repaired by local skin flaps,after debridement,and the use of external constraints from a dense sponge-made head frame for approximately two weeks.One case recovered with primary healing after surgical operation.The other case suffered from a disruption of the sutured wound,and a secondary operation was performed to cover the wound.These occipital pressure sores are avoidable by providing guidance to the parents in ethnic minorities'area regarding the prevention,diagnosis and management of positional skull deformity.

Sandwich Rolling over Method in Patients with Prone Position Ventilation

Background: Prone positioning is nowadays considered as one of the most effective strategies for patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Prone position ventilation can lead to some severe complications. Effectively implement prone ventilation and reduce the incidence of complications become an important problem for clinical medical staff. Aims: To investigate whether the Sandwich rolling over method was convenient for clinical implementation and can reduce complications. Design: This is a single-center, retrospective, observational study. Results: The mean pronation cycles per patient were 6.11 ± 4.40. The mean time spent in prone position for each cycle was 10.05 ± 4.42 hours. Two patients developed a pressure sore and the positions were cheek, auricle and chest. The mean time it took from preparation to cover the patient with the quilt was 10.56 ± 4.35 minutes. Conclusions: This retrospective study has shown that under the close cooperation and supervision of the team, the implementation efficiency of prone position ventilation can be improved and the occurrence of complications can be reduced.

The modified bilobed flap for reconstructing sacral decubitus ulcers

Background:Sacral pressure ulcers are associated with high morbidity and,in some cases,result in mortality from severe sepsis.Local flaps are frequently used for reconstruction of stage III and IV pressure ulcers.An ideal flap should be simple to design,have a reliable vascular supply and minimal donor site morbidity.Our study evaluates the use of a bilobed flap based on the superficial branch of the superior gluteal artery or the posterior branch of the fourth lumbar artery to reconstruct the sacral pressure ulcer.Case presentation:We performed a retrospective analysis of paraplegic patients with sacral pressure ulcers treated with our bilobed flaps from January 2015 to December 2019.A description of our management,operative protocol,outcome and complications is outlined.Seven paraplegic patients(6 male,1 female;average age 53.1 years)with sacral pressure ulcers were treated with our bilobed flap based on the superficial branch of the superior gluteal artery or the posterior branch of the fourth lumbar artery.The average size of the pressure ulcers was 7×5 cm(range 6.2×4.5 cm to 11×10 cm).All 7 flaps survived.The patients were followed up for 12 months without significant complications,such as flap necrosis or recurrence.Conclusions:The superficial branch of the superior gluteal artery or the posterior branch of the fourth lumbar artery reliably supplies the bilobed flap.The superior cluneal nerve can be included in the design.The technique is simple and reliable.It should be included in the reconstructive algorithm for the management of sacral pressure ulcers.

Quadrilobed superior gluteal artery perforator flap for sacrococcygeal defects

Background Perforator flaps are used extensively in repairing soft tissue defects. Superior gluteal artery perforator flaps are used for repairing sacral defects, but the tension required for direct closure of the donor area after harvesting of relatively large flaps carries a risk of postoperative dehiscence. This research was to investigate a modified superior gluteal artery perforator flap for repairing sacrococcygeal soft tissue defects. Methods From June 2003 to April 2010, we used our newly designed superior gluteal artery perforator flap for repair of sacrococcygeal soft tissue defects in 10 patients （study group）. The wound and donor areas were measured, and the flaps were designed accordingly. Wound healing was assessed over a follow-up period of 6-38 months. From January 1998 to February 2003, twelve patients with sacrococcygeal pressure sores were treated with traditional methods, VY advancement flaps or oblong flaps, as control group. Results After debridement, the soft tissue defects ranged from 12 cm× 10 cm to 26 cm× 22 cm （mean 16.3 cm× 13.5 cm）. Four patients were treated using right-sided flaps ranging from 15 cm × 11 cm to 25 cm × 20 cm （mean 18.2 cm × 14 cm）. Four patients were treated using left-sided flaps, and two were treated using both right- and left-sided flaps. Suction drains were removed on postoperative Days 3-21 （mean 5.9） and sutures were removed on postoperative Days 12-14. Each flap included 1-2 perforators for each of the donor and recipient sites. Donor sites were closed directly. All flaps survived. In eight patients, the wounds healed after single-stage surgery. After further debridement, the wounds of the remaining two patients were considered healed on postoperative Days 26 and 33, respectively. The rate of first intention in the study group （80%, 8/10） significantly increased than that of control group （（25%, 3/12）, X2=4.583, P=0.032）. Follow-up examinations found that the flaps had a soft texture without ulceration. In the two patients without paraplegia, the range of motion of the hip joints was not affected. Conclusion The use of the quadrilobed superior gluteal artery perforator flap can overcome the disadvantages of traditional perforator flaps and represents an improved approach for repairing soft tissue defects in the sacrococcygeal region.