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Bedridden patients are in risk to developing pressure ulcers and represent a priority group to be studied to identify this condition. To reach this goal, specific instruments are used to assess this problem. The objective of this study was to analyze the risk factors to developing pressure ulcers in adult patients hospitalized in ICUs. This is a sectional analytical study, in which evaluations were performed on 140 patients, hospitalized in 22 ICUs, using the Braden scale. Results showed that patients hospitalized from 15 days or more showed some level of risk. The highest frequencies of pressure ulcers were found in patients in the following categories: sensorial perception (completely limited), moistness (constantly moist), mobility (completely immobilized), activity (bedridden), nutrition (adequate) and friction and shear (problem). In conclusion, the use of this scale is an important strategy when providing care to patients in intensive treatment.

The objective of this a cross-sectional analytical study was to estimate the occurrence of pressure ulcers and their associated factors in adult ICUs in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The sample consisted of 142 patients aged 18 or older, admitted before midnight of the day prior to data collection, from a total of 316 beds distributed in 22 ICUs. Presence of at least one pressure ulcer per patient was 35.2% (CI 95% = 27.4-47.7). Of the 99 ulcers identified, the ones in the sacral region were most frequent (36.0%), followed by those in the calcaneus (22.0%). We observed that the presence of sepsis (OR = 6.04, CI 95% = 1.09-33.53), period of stay > or = 10 days (OR = 7.61, CI 95% = 2.92-19.82) and being high risk and very high-risk in the Braden scale (OR = 4.96, CI 95% = 1.50-16.50) were independent factors significantly associated with the presence of pressure ulcers. Results suggest that sepsis, length of stay, and having high and very high risk" in the Braden scale are factors potentially associated to the development of ulcers in bedridden patients.

This study compares the cost of traditional wound dressing and the one commended by HC/UFMG Stomotherapy sector's protocol for several kinds of wounds treatment. We finally concluded that the cost of the latter is inferior to the first, and the it is the frequency in changing the dressings that appoint a greater significance factor in the increasing of the price.