Pressure injury risk factors in patients undergoing general anesthesia surgeries.

Background: Pressure injuries result from prolonged pressure and lead to tissue damage, infections, extended recovery times, and an economic burden.

Purpose: To explore risk factors for pressure injuries in patients who underwent surgery under general anesthesia.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients who underwent surgery at a regional educational hospital in southern Taiwan from January 1, 2018, through December 31, 2018.

Results: A comprehensive multivariate analysis was used to identify the prominent risk factors for pressure injury among the 11 231 patients enrolled in this study. These risk factors were an age of ≥65 years; surgery duration of >120 minutes; diastolic blood pressure of <60 mm Hg for >30 minutes during surgery; intraoperative use of dopamine, norepinephrine, or epinephrine as vasopressors; American Society of Anesthesiologists physical classification of III or higher; minimum intraoperative body temperature of ≤35°C; blood loss of >500 mL; and a supine or prone surgical position.

Conclusions: This study identified several pressure injury risk factors related to surgical conditions and patient characteristics. Surgical teams must monitor, control, and manage these factors, prioritize staff education, and adopt preventive protocols.