title: Prevalence, location, grade of pressure ulcers and association with specific patient characteristics in adult spinal cord injury patients during the hospital stay: a prospective cohort study.
abstract: METHODS
  This was a prospective cohort study.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective was to describe the incidence, prevalence, characteristics of pressure ulcers (PUs) and the association with specific patient characteristics in a consecutive sample of in-patients with a spinal cord injury (SCI).
  
  
  METHODS
  An acute care and rehabilitation clinic specialized in SCIs in Switzerland.
  
  
  METHODS
  The presence and characteristics of PUs for all adult patients with a SCI admitted to the clinic from 1 September 2009 to 28 February 2010 were recorded on a daily basis during their complete hospitalization. Risk factors were analyzed in univariate and multivariate logistic regression models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 185 patients were included in the study and observed for the entirety of their hospitalization. The prevalence of at least one PU was 49.2% in all patients, compared with 25.4% in the group of patients admitted without PUs. The incidence was 2.2 per person and year. In 91 patients, a total of 219 PUs were observed. PUs were most frequently located on the foot (36.1%), and the coccyx/sacrum (15.1%). The risk for occurrence of a PU increased with age (odds ratio (OR)=1.04) and post SCI (OR=1.03). In the multivariate analyses, the risk for PUs was lower for patients with the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (AIS) of C or D (ORC=0.25, ORD=0.28) compared with patients with an AIS of A.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using a daily documentation system, PUs were detected as a frequent complication of SCIs. Completeness of injury, age and time since injury were significant risk factors for PUs. The foot was a region at high risk for PUs.
authors.affiliation: Swiss Paraplegic Centre, Nottwil, Switzerland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scheel-Sailer
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wyss
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Boldt
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Post
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lay
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation