RESUMO
Pressure injuries are areas of damage to the skin and underlying tissue caused by pressure or pressure in combination with shear. Pressure injury prevention in the critical care population necessitates risk assessment, selection of appropriate preventive interventions, and ongoing assessment to determine the adequacy of the preventive interventions. Best practices in preventive interventions among critical care patients, including skin and tissue assessment, skin care, repositioning, nutrition, support surfaces, and early mobilization, are described. Unique considerations in special populations including older adults and individuals with obesity are also addressed.
Assuntos
Cuidados Críticos , Guias de Prática Clínica como Assunto , Úlcera por Pressão/prevenção & controle , Fatores Etários , Humanos , Posicionamento do Paciente/enfermagem , Úlcera por Pressão/enfermagem , Medição de Risco , Higiene da Pele/enfermagemRESUMO
There are well-documented physiologic changes that occur in the human body during the aging process, such as decreased body fat, decreased muscle mass, cellular senescence, changes in skin pH, decreased metabolism, decreased immune function, vascular changes, altered tissue perfusion, nutritional status changes, and poor hydration. These changes affect skin integrity and wound healing, and raise the risk of pressure-related skin injury. This article discusses aging as a risk factor for pressure injury (PrI). Topics include evidence for advancing age as a significant PrI risk factor, identifying pathophysiologic changes/mechanisms of aging, and specific PrI preventive interventions to consider in older adults.