Pressure injuries on ICU admission mark increased risk

A retrospective analysis of 2,723 patients admitted to a 24-bed medical-surgical intensive care unit (ICU) in a large level I trauma center found that those with pressure injuries upon admission had higher in-hospital mortality (32% vs. 18%). Pressure injuries were also associated with a 3-day increase in length of stay. Although pressure injuries were not associated with mortality after adjusting for the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation III score, researchers asserted that they serve as a “convenient marker” for increased risk of mortality when an Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation III score is unavailable or functional assessment is difficult to perform. (Critical Care Nurse article, June, 2019)