Salzberg, Byrne et al reported the SCIPUS (Spinal Cord Injury Pressure Ulcer Scale) to evaluate a patient with spinal cord injury. The authors are from New York Medical College, Byrne Research, and Castle Point Veterans Affairs Medical Center in New York.
Patient selection: spinal cord injury
Parameters:
(1) age in years
(2) complete spinal cord injury (SCI)
(3) mobility
(4) level of activity
(5) moisture
(6) neurologic findings
(7) tobacco use
(8) pulmonary disease
(9) cardiac disease
(10) renal disease
(11) impaired cognitive function
(12) location
(13) diabetes
(14) serum albumin
(15) hematocrit
|
Parameter |
Finding |
Points |
|
age in years |
< 35 years |
0 |
|
|
35 to 64 years |
1 |
|
|
> 64 years |
2 |
|
complete SCI |
no |
0 |
|
|
yes |
1 |
|
mobility |
full |
0 |
|
|
limited |
1 |
|
|
immobile |
3 |
|
level of activity |
ambulatory |
0 |
|
|
wheelchair |
1 |
|
|
bedbound |
4 |
|
moisture |
constantly moist |
1 |
|
|
urine incontinence |
1 |
|
|
neither |
0 |
|
neurologic findings |
autonomic dysreflexia |
1 |
|
|
severe spasticity |
1 |
|
|
neither |
0 |
|
tobacco use |
never |
0 |
|
|
former |
1 |
|
|
current |
3 |
|
pulmonary disease |
no |
0 |
|
|
yes |
2 |
|
cardiac disease |
present |
1 |
|
|
abnormal EEG |
1 |
|
|
neither |
0 |
|
renal disease |
no |
0 |
|
|
yes |
1 |
|
impaired cognitive function |
no |
0 |
|
|
yes |
1 |
|
location |
nursing home |
2 |
|
|
hospital |
2 |
|
|
neither |
0 |
|
diabetes |
present |
1 |
|
|
high blood glucose |
1 |
|
|
neither |
0 |
|
serum albumin |
normal or high |
0 |
|
|
low |
1 |
|
hematocrit |
normal or high |
0 |
|
|
low |
1 |
where:
• Low serum albumin, low hematocrit and high glucose are relative to the upper and lower limits for the normal reference ranges of the laboratory.
total score =
= SUM(points for all 15 parameters)
Interpretation:
• minimum score: 0
• maximum score: 25
• The higher the score the greater the risk for pressure ulcer.
|
Score |
Risk Level |
|
<= 2 |
low |
|
3 to 5 |
moderate |
|
6 to 8 |
high |
|
>= 9 |
very high |
Performance:
• Delparte et al reported an area under the ROC curve of 0.64.
Specialty: Dermatology
