Fogerty et al identified risk factors for pressure ulcer in an adult admitted to an acute care hospital. These can help to identify a patient who may benefit from more aggressive preventive measures. The authors are from Vanderbilt University and Johns Hopkins University.
Patient selection: adult acute care hospital in-patient (based on discharge diagnosis)
High risk (odds ratio > 9):
(1) age >= 76 years
(2) gangrene
(3) malnutrition
(4) paralysis
(5) sepsis
(6) osteomyelitis
Moderate risk (odds ratio 5 to 9)
(1) age 59 to 75 years
(2) pneumonitis
(3) urinary tract infection
(4) other bacterial infection
Low to moderate risk (odds ratio 2 to 4.9):
(1) age 40 to 58 years
(2) African American
(3) diabetes mellitus with complications
(4) anemia
(5) senility
(6) respiratory failure
(7) acute renal failure
(8) cerebrovascular disease
(9) congestive heart failure, nonhypertensive
(10) other infection (mycoses, pneumonia, skin or subcutaneous infection)
(11) complication to medical device, implant or graft
(12) hypertension with complications
(13) phlebitis or thromboembolism
(14) gastrointestinal bleeding
(15) peripheral arterial disease (PAD)
(16) genitourinary symptoms
