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

Acromegaly with No Evidence of Pituitary Adenoma or Ectopic Source

WOS: 000417410900008Acromegaly is caused by the uncontrolled hypersecretion of growth hormone (GH) and secondary increases of insulin-like growth factor-1. More than 95% of patients with acromegaly have a growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenoma. Ectopic GH or growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH)-secreting tumors are rare cause of acromegaly. Pituitary adenomas that cause the hypersecretion of GH are nearly always visible on magnetic resonance imaging. Rarely, patients without an ectopic source may have normal pituitary imaging. In managing this rare circumstance, exploring pituitary or medical treatment with a somatostatin analog might be useful. We describe a patient with acromegaly with no pituitary adenoma and no evidence of ectopic source, who was treated with long-acting octreotide

Rhabdomyolysis-Induced Acute Renal Failure Following Fenofibrate Therapy: A Case Report and Literature Review

Fenofibrate, a fibric acid derivative, is used to treat diabetic dyslipidemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and combined hyperlipidemia, administered alone or in combination with statins. Rhabdomyolysis is defined as a pathological condition involving skeletal muscle cell damage leading to the release of toxic intracellular material into circulation. Its major causes include muscle compression or overexertion; trauma; ischemia; toxins; cocaine, alcohol, and drug use; metabolic disorders; infections. However, rhabdomyolysis associated with fenofibrate is extremely rare. Herein we report a 45-year-old female patient who was referred to our department because of generalized muscle pain, fatigue, weakness, and oliguria over the preceding 3 weeks. On the basis of the pathogenesis and clinical and laboratory examinations, a diagnosis of acute renal failure secondary to fenofibrate-induced rhabdomyolysis was made. Weekly followups for patients who are administered fenofibrate are the most important way to prevent possible complications

Scleredema Diabeticorum in a Patient with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

WOS: 000393329500005Scleredema is a rare skin disease and clinically presents as diffuse, painless induration and thickening of the skin. Scleredema diabeticorum is usually slowly progressive and characterized by insidious onset and tends to be persistent. This type of scleredema primarily affects middle-aged and obese adults. Typically, affected area is the upper part of the body including the posterior neck, interscapular region and the chest. It usually develops in subjects with diabetes mellitus of long duration and poor metabolic control. We discussed a case of scleredema in a 54-year-old woman with a history of diabetes mellitus

Ultrasound Elastography of the Median Nerve in Patients With Acromegaly: A Case-Control Study

WOS: 000446327900008PubMed: 29516525Objectives The aim of this study was to compare the cross-sectional area and ultrasound elastographic findings of the median nerve of patients with acromegaly and healthy participants. Methods The acromegaly group comprised 15 patients with a previous diagnosis of acromegaly, and an age- and sex-matched control group included healthy participants. Strain elastographic and shear wave elastographic findings and the cross-sectional areas of the groups were compared. A 6-15-MHz multifrequency transducer was used for ultrasound evaluations. Results A total of 30 hands of 15 patients with acromegaly (7 male and 8 female) with a mean ageSD of 50.00 +/- 10.17 years and 40 hands of 20 healthy control participants (9 male and 11 female) with a mean age of 49.50 +/- 10.17 years were taken into consideration for statistical analyses. The cross-sectional area of the patients with acromegaly was significantly higher than that of the healthy controls (13.43 +/- 3.12 versus 8.32 +/- 1.94mm(2); P<.05). Median nerve stiffness was significantly increased in the acromegaly group compared with the control group (axial and longitudinal, 37.15 +/- 6.4 and 37.0 +/- 6.19 versus 18.7 +/- 4.1 and 19.2 +/- 3.58 kPa, respectively; P<.001). Conclusions These preliminary results have demonstrated that patients with acromegaly seem to have increased stiffness and cross-sectional area of the median nerve compared with healthy participants

Be Aware of Critical Drugs in Emergency Departments: An Extreme Iatrogenic Insulin Overdose via Subcutaneous and Intramuscular Routes

Introduction: Insulin is a highly used parenteral medication in emergency departments. Although most severe insulin overdoses occur as suicide attempts, medication errors can be the reason. We aimed to highlight the potential medication errors in emergency departments due to the poor control of critical drugs like insulin and the similarities between the brand names of drugs, as we experienced during this case