INCIDENCE OF PRESSURE SORE IN THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT AT AL-DIWANYIA TEACHING HOSPITAL.

BACKGROUND AND

OBJECTIVES

The incidence of pressure ulcers in intensive care unit (ICU) varies, be subjected on the age of the patient, medical diseases that caused the sore, area of the body that is involved and medical care for the patients. This incidence is increasing because of aging people those living with disability. Knowing how to prevent and treat pressure sores appropriately is very important for all medical staff in wound care.

AIM OF THE STUDY: Assess of the incidence of pressure sore in the ICU of AL-Diwaniya teaching hospital and finding the factors that decrease this incidence.

METHODS

This prospective study was done in the ICU of AL-Diwaniya teaching hospital in the period from January 2025 to March of 2025, for a total of 3 months which included 66 patients, 20 of them developed pressure sores. The data information is collected based on name, age, gender, date of admission, cause of hospitalization (trauma/non-trauma), and medical diseases like hypertension, diabetes mellitus and heart failure.

RESULTS

In this study that was conducted in the ICU at Al-Diwaniya teaching hospital, number of patients were 66, 20 of them developed pressure ulcers (30%), the male (60%) patients were more prevalence than female (40%) and the mean age of our sample was 47.36 years old.

CONCLUSION

The pressure ulcers are one of the most common complications in ICU. Younger patients who had accidents were more common during the study period, the most common location of occurrence of the pressure ulcers is the sacrum. Failure to turn patients, most likely due to their weight and build is the most predisposing factor for formation of sore.