Incidence of pressure injuries in critically ill patients with and without covid-19: study of Cohort.

Abstract

Objective: To compare the incidence, characteristics, and risk factors of pressure injuries among critically ill patients with and without Covid-19 in an intensive care unit.

Method: Retrospective cohort study in an intensive care unit by collecting data from electronic medical records of patients admitted in 2021. Sample of 302 patients, 151 with Covid-19 and 151 without Covid-19. Poisson's regression with robust variance and p < 0.05 as a significant value was used to analyze the data.

Results: The incidence of pressure injuries in patients with Covid-19 was 60.3% and in those without Covid-19 were 35.8%. Stage 2 and the sacral region were predominant in both groups and patients with Covid-19 developed lesions earlier compared to those without Covid-19. An increase in pressure injuries was observed in patients with chronic diseases, on mechanical ventilation and in the prone position The clinical variables associated were "obesity," "Braden ≤ 12," and "sedation time."

Conclusion: The incidence of pressure injuries was higher in patients with Covid-19.The variables "obesity," "Braden ≤ 12," and "sedation time" were associated with pressure injuries, regardless of whether the patient had Covid-19 or not, corroborating risk factors for pressure injuries.