Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Carotid Intima-Media Thickness and Midlife Cognitive Function: Impact of Race and Social Disparities in the Bogalusa Heart Study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Carotid intima-media thickness (c-IMT) is a measurement of atherosclerosis, a progressive disease that develops as early as childhood and has been linked with cognitive impairment and dementia in the elderly. However, the relationship between c-IMT and midlife cognitive function and the race and social disparities in this relationship remain unclear. We examined the association between c-IMT and cognitive function in midlife among Black and White participants from a semirural community-based cohort in Bogalusa, Louisiana. METHODS: In this cross-sectional analysis of participants from the Bogalusa Heart Study, linear regression models were used to determine the association between c-IMT dichotomized above the 50th percentile (\u3e0.87 mm), an a demographically standardized global cognitive score (GCS), and individual cognitive domain-based scores. Stratified analyses were performed to evaluate the impact of race and the individual\u27s education status. RESULTS: A total of 1,217 participants (age 48 ± 5.28 years) were included; 66% (804) self-identified as White, and 34% (413) self-identified as Black. Of those, 58% (708) were women, and 42% (509) were men. Having a c-IMT ≥50th percentile was inversely associated with GCS ( ± SE -0.39 ± 0.18, = 0.03), independently of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) and achieved education. The effect remained significant in Black and White participants after adjustment for CVRFs (Black participants: ± SE -1.25 ± 0.45, = 0.005; White participants: ± SE -0.92 ± 0.35, = 0.008) but not for education. The interaction between c-IMT ≥50th percentile and education was significant ( = 0.03), and stratified analysis showed an association with GCS among those with lower achieved education ( ± SE -0.81 ± 0.33, = 0.013) independently of major CVRFs. DISCUSSION: Subclinical atherosclerosis, measured as c-IMT, was associated with worse midlife cognitive function, independently of major CVRFs. The association was buffered by education and may be stronger among Black than White participants, likely due to corresponding structural and social determinants. These findings underscore the importance of establishing preventive measures in midlife and suggest subclinical atherosclerosis as a potential target to prevent cognitive decline

Life-Course Associations between Blood Pressure-Related Polygenic Risk Scores and Hypertension in the Bogalusa Heart Study

Genetic information may help to identify individuals at increased risk for hypertension in early life, prior to the manifestation of elevated blood pressure (BP) values. We examined 369 Black and 832 White Bogalusa Heart Study (BHS) participants recruited in childhood and followed for approximately 37 years. The multi-ancestry genome-wide polygenic risk scores (PRSs) for systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP), and hypertension were tested for an association with incident hypertension and stage 2 hypertension using Cox proportional hazards models. Race-stratified analyses were adjusted for baseline age, age2, sex, body mass index, genetic principal components, and BP. In Black participants, each standard deviation increase in SBP and DBP PRS conferred a 38% (p = 0.009) and 22% (p = 0.02) increased risk of hypertension and a 74% (p p p p = 0.01), and 25% (p p = 0.08), 29% (0.01), and 42% (p p < 0.05). Multi-ancestry BP PRSs demonstrate the utility of genomic information in the early life prediction of hypertension

Design and Feasibility Analysis of a Smartphone‐Based Digital Cognitive Assessment Study in the Framingham Heart Study

Background Smartphone‐based digital technology is increasingly being recognized as a cost‐effective, scalable, and noninvasive method of collecting longitudinal cognitive and behavioral data. Accordingly, a state‐of‐the‐art 3‐year longitudinal project focused on collecting multimodal digital data for early detection of cognitive impairment was developed. Methods and Results A smartphone application collected 2 modalities of cognitive data, digital voice and screen‐based behaviors, from the FHS (Framingham Heart Study) multigenerational Generation 2 (Gen 2) and Generation 3 (Gen 3) cohorts. To understand the feasibility of conducting a smartphone‐based study, participants completed a series of questions about their smartphone and app use, as well as sensory and environmental factors that they encountered while completing the tasks on the app. Baseline data collected to date were from 537 participants (mean age=66.6 years, SD=7.0; 58.47% female). Across the younger participants from the Gen 3 cohort (n=455; mean age=60.8 years, SD=8.2; 59.12% female) and older participants from the Gen 2 cohort (n=82; mean age=74.2 years, SD=5.8; 54.88% female), an average of 76% participants agreed or strongly agreed that they felt confident about using the app, 77% on average agreed or strongly agreed that they were able to use the app on their own, and 81% on average rated the app as easy to use. Conclusions Based on participant ratings, the study findings are promising. At baseline, the majority of participants are able to complete the app‐related tasks, follow the instructions, and encounter minimal barriers to completing the tasks independently. These data provide evidence that designing and collecting smartphone application data in an unsupervised, remote, and naturalistic setting in a large, community‐based population is feasible

Shifting From Active to Passive Monitoring of Alzheimer Disease: The State of the Research

ABSTRACT Most research using digital technologies builds on existing methods for staff‐administered evaluation, requiring a large investment of time, effort, and resources. Widespread use of personal mobile devices provides opportunities for continuous health monitoring without active participant engagement. Home‐based sensors show promise in evaluating behavioral features in near real time. Digital technologies across these methodologies can detect precise measures of cognition, mood, sleep, gait, speech, motor activity, behavior patterns, and additional features relevant to health. As a neurodegenerative condition with insidious onset, Alzheimer disease and other dementias (AD/D) represent a key target for advances in monitoring disease symptoms. Studies to date evaluating the predictive power of digital measures use inconsistent approaches to characterize these measures. Comparison between different digital collection methods supports the use of passive collection methods in settings in which active participant engagement approaches are not feasible. Additional studies that analyze how digital measures across multiple data streams can together improve prediction of cognitive impairment and early‐stage AD are needed. Given the long timeline of progression from normal to diagnosis, digital monitoring will more easily make extended longitudinal follow‐up possible. Through the American Heart Association–funded Strategically Focused Research Network, the Boston University investigative team deployed a platform involving a wide range of technologies to address these gaps in research practice. Much more research is needed to thoroughly evaluate limitations of passive monitoring. Multidisciplinary collaborations are needed to establish legal and ethical frameworks for ensuring passive monitoring can be conducted at scale while protecting privacy and security, especially in vulnerable populations

Comparing Cognitive Tests and Smartphone‐Based Assessment in 2 US Community‐Based Cohorts

Background Smartphone‐based cognitive assessments have emerged as promising tools, bridging gaps in accessibility and reducing bias in Alzheimer disease and related dementia research. However, their congruence with traditional neuropsychological tests and usefulness in diverse cohorts remain underexplored. Methods and Results A total of 406 FHS (Framingham Heart Study) and 59 BHS (Bogalusa Heart Study) participants with traditional neuropsychological tests and digital assessments using the Defense Automated Neurocognitive Assessment (DANA) smartphone protocol were included. Regression models investigated associations between DANA task digital measures and a neuropsychological global cognitive Z score (Global Cognitive Score [GCS]), and neuropsychological domain‐specific Z scores. FHS participants’ mean age was 57 (SD, 9.75) years, and 44% (179) were men. BHS participants' mean age was 49 (4.4) years, and 28% (16) were men. Participants in both cohorts with the lowest neuropsychological performance (lowest quartile, GCS1) demonstrated lower DANA digital scores. In the FHS, GCS1 participants had slower average response times and decreased cognitive efficiency scores in all DANA tasks (P<0.05). In BHS, participants in GCS1 had slower average response times and decreased cognitive efficiency scores for DANA Code Substitution and Go/No‐Go tasks, although this was not statistically significant. In both cohorts, GCS was significantly associated with DANA tasks, such that higher GCS correlated with faster average response times (P<0.05) and increased cognitive efficiency (all P<0.05) in the DANA Code Substitution task. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that smartphone‐based cognitive assessments exhibit concurrent validity with a composite measure of traditional neuropsychological tests. This supports the potential of using smartphone‐based assessments in cognitive screening across diverse populations and the scalability of digital assessments to community‐dwelling individuals

Table_1_Digital neuropsychological measures by defense automated neurocognitive assessment: reference values and clinical correlates.DOCX

IntroductionAlthough the growth of digital tools for cognitive health assessment, there’s a lack of known reference values and clinical implications for these digital methods. This study aims to establish reference values for digital neuropsychological measures obtained through the smartphone-based cognitive assessment application, Defense Automated Neurocognitive Assessment (DANA), and to identify clinical risk factors associated with these measures.MethodsThe sample included 932 cognitively intact participants from the Framingham Heart Study, who completed at least one DANA task. Participants were stratified into subgroups based on sex and three age groups. Reference values were established for digital cognitive assessments within each age group, divided by sex, at the 2.5th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 97.5th percentile thresholds. To validate these values, 57 cognitively intact participants from Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center were included. Associations between 19 clinical risk factors and these digital neuropsychological measures were examined by a backward elimination strategy.ResultsAge- and sex-specific reference values were generated for three DANA tasks. Participants below 60 had median response times for the Go-No-Go task of 796 ms (men) and 823 ms (women), with age-related increases in both sexes. Validation cohort results mostly aligned with these references. Different tasks showed unique clinical correlations. For instance, response time in the Code Substitution task correlated positively with total cholesterol and diabetes, but negatively with high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, and triglycerides.DiscussionThis study established and validated reference values for digital neuropsychological measures of DANA in cognitively intact white participants, potentially improving their use in future clinical studies and practice.</p