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Background: Facial pressure ulcers are one of the most common complications associated with non-invasive ventilation (NIV ). Objectives: To determine the frequency of facial pressure ulcers in patients admitted to an intermediate care unit (ICU) and submitted to NIV, as well as to identify the associated factors. Methodology: A prospective study was conducted between September and December 2015. Inclusion criteria: age ≥ 18 years, admitted to ICU, submitted to NIV and without facial ulcers at time of admission. A sample of 30 participants was obtained. Data were collected through a questionnaire, the Braden Scale and the Glasgow Scale. Results: The frequency of facial pressure ulcers was 26.7%, 16.7% of stage II and with a mean onset of 3.3 days. Most participants were male (70.0%), and the mean age was 74.2 years. Patients undergoing more hours of VNI per day, more days of NIV and more days of hospitalization had a higher frequency of facial pressure ulcers. Conclusion: Given that the number of hours of NIV increased the frequency of Facial pressure ulcers, we suggest periods of interruption of NIV use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic foot ulcers have been receiving increased attention due to the severity of the situations and the large number of diabetic patients, whose prevalence exceeds 10% of the Portuguese population. The lack of feet vigilance among diabetic patients is an actual problem which limits the identification of risk factors, prevention and early intervention. To overcome this problem, nurses need to be familiar with and perform procedures for regular vigilance and assessment of the risk for ulceration in diabetic patients. Therefore, this paper aims to update knowledge on diabetic foot and characterise the process of assessing the risk for foot ulceration in diabetic patients. Recent scientific papers, reports, monographs and guidelines published on this topic were analysed. Despite the different opinions and differences, we concluded that the theoretical frameworks found are a sufficiently sound basis for nursing intervention, and that the existing legal framework is relatively simple, objective and achievable. The assessment of the risk for diabetic foot ulceration is within the reach of family nurses, particularly regarding the competences of level 1 teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]