Background and aims: Cardiac surgery patients are at high risk of pressure ulcers. In the
present study, we determined the incidence of pressure ulcer in patients who were admitted
to open heart cardiac surgery intensive care unit and related risk factors.
Methods: With using convenience sampling all the eligible patients who were admitted to
Boali cardiac surgery during June to August 2015 were invited to participate in this study.
Patients’ skins were assessed using pressure ulcer staging system developed by National
Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP) and Braden scale before operation, after operation
(in time of cardiac intensive care unit admission) and one times per day to patients
discharge for sign of pressure ulcer development. Data were analyzed using descriptive
statistics, Pearson correlation test and independent t-test in SPSS 20.0 statistical software.
Results: During 3 months, 70 patients who were eligible were admitted to cardiac intensive
care unit. From all, in 32 (45.7%) patient’s pressure ulcer was seen. From those, 41.4%
were in stage I and 4.3% were in stage II. Mean score of Braden score in time of ICU
admission was 11.1±2.3 and 15.1±2.3 in patients with and without pressure ulcer
development (P<0.001). Factors such as lower Braden Scale score (P=0.001), diabetes
(P=0.01), hypertension (P=0.001), NPO time after surgery (P=0.006), mean time of surgery
(P=0.007), mean time of need to mechanical ventilation after surgery (P=0.003), low
ejection fraction (P=0.006) and lower level of hemoglobin after surgery (P=0.012)
increased the risk of pressure ulcer development significantly.
Conclusion: Our findings indicate that patients who were admitted to open heart cardiac
surgery intensive care unit are at high risk of pressure ulcer development. Medical and
care-giving teams in the cardiac intensive care unit need further education about risk factors
of pressure ulcer development to prevent this
