Risk Factors of Endotracheal Intubation-Related Pressure Injury among Patients Admitted to the ICU

Applying TRIZ in Clinical Product Design

Using an inventive problem-solving theory in nurse-engineer collaborations.

Pulmonary-Focused Verticalization Therapy in Patients Experiencing Respiratory Failure

BACKGROUND

Mechanical ventilation and prone positioning are high-risk procedures for patients and health care team members, increasing patients' risk of secondary infection and pressure injuries, as well as increasing staff workload and risk of injury or contracting infectious diseases. Verticalization therapy is the practice of controlled, in-bed, upright positioning. Previous research showed increases in oxygenation during verticalization therapy, which suggests that verticalization therapy may be beneficial in patients with respiratory failure.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the safety and feasibility of verticalization therapy in patients experiencing respiratory distress, including patients with COVID-19.

METHODS

A convenience sample of adult patients in the medical respiratory intensive care unit at a mid-Atlantic urban academic medical center received up to 2 verticalization therapy sessions daily for a goal of 30 to 120 minutes each.

RESULTS

The study aimed to enroll 15 participants, but suspended recruitment after 6 because of clinical team concerns that some participants were experiencing hypotension and decreases in oxygen saturation during verticalization, as well as lack of adequate nursing staff time. Most participants tolerated verticalization therapy, but one participant's initial verticalization therapy session was stopped at 30° because of hypotension and desaturation. The unit lacked nursing staff needed to consistently verticalize participants.

CONCLUSIONS

The small number of participants limits interpretation of study findings. Future studies should consider baseline critical illness severity and a slower rate of verticalization. Although it is unclear whether verticalization therapy decreases demands on physicians, advanced practice providers, and respiratory therapists, it clearly increased nursing workload in this study.

Incidence, characteristics and risk factors of endotracheal tube-related pressure injuries in intensive care units

BACKGROUND

Medical devices commonly used for the treatment and care of critically ill patients can cause pressure injuries in intensive care units (ICUs). The endotracheal tube (ETT) is one of the most common medical devices to cause pressure injuries.

AIM

This study investigated the incidence of, characteristics of and risk factors for ETT-related pressure injuries for ICU patients.

STUDY DESIGN

This study adopted a prospective descriptive research design. The sample consisted of 146 endotracheally intubated patients. Data were collected using a patient information form, an Endotracheal Tube-Related Pressure Injuries Assessment Form, the Braden Risk Assessment Tool and the Nutritional Assessment Test.

RESULTS

The study revealed that 80.14% of the patients developed ETT-related pressure injuries. Over half of the ETT-related pressure injuries appeared on Day 3 or 4 (56.41%). High body mass index was found to be associated with the development of ETT-related pressure injuries (OR: 1.15, 95% CI: 1.05-1.26, p = .003). None of the other variables were statistically significant in the development of pressure injuries.

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of ETT-related pressure injuries was quite high in the internal, surgical and anaesthesia ICUs. High body mass index was associated with the development of ETT-related pressure injuries. Intensive care nurses should implement interventions to prevent ETT-related pressure injuries in critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilation support.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

ETT-related pressure injuries are common in ICU patients. High body mass index was associated with the development of ETT-related pressure injuries in critically ill patients. The skin and mucosa should be assessed for the development of ETT-related pressure injuries during the daily assessment of the patients receiving mechanical ventilation support. The ETT should be repositioned regularly, and the most suitable ETT fixation method should be used.

Effect of a self-developed fixation device on preventing endotracheal intubation-related pressure injury: a randomised controlled trial

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effects of our self-developed endotracheal tube fixation device in mechanically ventilated patients.

METHODS

In a dual-centre randomised controlled trial, patients who were expected to require mechanical ventilation for over 48 h were assigned to the observation group (using self-developed device) or the control group (using the traditional device). The primary endpoint was the incidence of endotracheal intubation-related pressure injury (EIRPI).

RESULTS

Fifty-one patients in the observation group and 54 patients in the control group were analysed. The incidence of EIRPI was 7.8% in the observation group and 33.3% in the control group (p = 0.001). Lip pressure injury (PI) occurred in 0 versus 14 (25.9%) patients in the observation versus control groups (p < 0.001). Both oral-mucosal and facial PIs were similar between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of the novel device reduced the incidence of EIRPI, especially lip PI. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2300078132. Registered on 29 November 2023.

Mucosal membrane pressure injury in intensive care units: A scoping review

AIM

To describe published work on the current situation of mucosal membrane pressure injury of patients in the intensive care unit.

BACKGROUND

Device-related pressure injuries in critically ill patients are mostly focused on skin surface injuries, and less attention is paid to mucosal membrane pressure injury.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library from database construction until March 1, 2023. Two researchers independently screened and extracted data.

RESULTS

Eighteen articles met our criteria and were published in 2014-2023. The included studies showed that the incidence of mucosal membrane pressure injury in critically ill patients ranged from 0.83% to 88.2%, and the prevalence ranged from 0.16% to 55.6%. The most frequently reported site of mucosal injury is the oral mucosa, followed by the nasal mucosa. Ten studies used Braden to assess the risk of mucosal membrane pressure injury, and only six studies reported specific stages of mucosal membrane pressure injury. Thirteen studies described 30 risk factors for mucosal membrane pressure injury, with albumin being the most frequently reported risk factor, followed by the vasoconstrictive drugs use. Thirty risk factors were summarized in six aspects: medical device-related factors, disease-related factors, treatment- related factors, physiological and biochemical parameters, demographic-related factors, and microbial colonisation.

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence or prevalence of mucosal membrane pressure injury varies widely, and specific risk assessment tools and standardized staging criteria need to be further determined. The risk factors of mucosal membrane pressure injury involve multiple aspects, and some risk factors have only been explored in few studies and need to be further verified, in order to detect the risk group of mucosal membrane pressure injury early and take targeted preventive measures.

IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE

We synthesized the current research status of mucosal membrane pressure injury in critically ill patients, which can provide a valuable reference for the clinical staff to develop preventive and management measures for such patients.

Risk factors for device-related pressure injuries in general ward inpatients of a tertiary general hospital: A case-control study

AIMS

To identify the characteristics of device-related pressure injuries (DRPI) in general ward inpatients, and to confirm the DRPI risk factors by examining differences between a DRPI and non-DRPI group.

METHODS

This study is a retrospective case-control study. High-risk adult patients for pressure injuries (rated at 16 points or less on the Braden scale) who were admitted to a general ward of a tertiary general hospital in South Korea from January 1 to September 30, 2021 were enrolled in this study. Among them, participants were selected by matching the patients with DRPI (n = 50) to the non-DRPI patient group (n = 100) in a ratio of 1:2.

RESULTS

As for risk factors, longer hospitalization periods and the presence of oedema increased DRPI risk. In blood tests, higher glucose levels increased the risk by 1.03 times, and lower albumin levels increased the risk by 0.08 times. Furthermore, the risk of developing DRPI was 7.89 times higher when sedatives were administered.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on the DRPI risk factors identified in this study, patients who have oedema, who have long hospital stays, use sedatives and devices, have a low albumin level, and whose blood glucose is not well controlled should be recognized as having a high risk of developing DRPI. In order to prevent the development of DRPI, it is necessary to recognize risk factors at an early stage, increase actively preventive interventions. The results of this study contribute to recognizing the risk of DRPI in patients and evaluating risk factors for DRPI prevention.