Pressure ulcer surveillance in neurotrauma patients at a level one trauma centre in India

Abstract EN

Objectives: Pressure ulcers are a multifactorial, prevalent, and preventable morbidity.

They cause a burden both financially and emotionally, to the individual, their family and doctor, and to society as a whole.

Pressure ulcers are extremely difficult to treat; therefore, prevention is key.

Methods: We started a Wound Care Surveillance Program in 2012 involving nurses, physiotherapists, and doctors.

We intended to prevent the occurrence of pressure ulcers, ensure early detection, and facilitate the healing process.

The Braden scale was used to stratify patients’ risk.

The number of patients observed in our study was 2,974 over a one-year period.

Results: The pressure sore prevalence was 3.1%.

Younger and middle-aged patients were most commonly affected; 27% of these patients did not survive.

Mortality was not attributed to the pressure ulcer directly.

The most common mode of injury was road traffic accidents.

Most of our patients had just a single pressure area affected, most commonly the sacrum.

Most patients were managed with debridement and dressings while 12% received surgical treatment.

Of those with stage one ulcers, 29% healed completely at two months.

In stage two and three patients, 17% and 6% healed in two months, respectively, and this number was zero in stage four patients.

Conclusion: The Wound Care Surveillance Program has been a very effective strategy for the prevention and management of pressure ulcers.

Stage two ulcers were the most common in our setup.

Braden scoring, traditionally used to screen these ulcers, can be used as a predictive and prognostic tool to predict healing of pressure ulcers.

Poor healing is expected in higher staged ulcers and patients with spinal injury and major solid organ injury and those who need a tracheostomy.

Home-based care is not up to mark in our society and accounts for most of the cases in the follow-up.