• Leila Blanes, Ivone Silva Duarte, José Augusto Calil, and Lydia Masako Ferreira.
• Programa de Pós-Graduação em Cirurgia Plástica Reparadora, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP.
• Rev Assoc Med Bras. 2004 Apr 1;50(2):182-7.

BackgroundTo determine the profile of patients at the Hospital São Paulo with pressure ulcers (PU).MethodsA prospective study was carried out. Seventy-eight patients with pressure ulcers were evaluated between May 1st and 31st of 2002. The questionnaire consisted of demographic and clinical data of the population, PU classification and Braden Scale.ResultsConcerning 78 patients with PU: 66.7% were over 61 years old (average: 64). The average period of hospitalization was 33 days. 68% (53) developed ulcers while hospitalized, of which 43.7% (34) were pre-ulcers. The most frequent causes of hospitalization were neurological diseases (29.5%) and cancer (29.5%). Regarding the classification of the pressure ulcers, all stages were found on the sacrum, being 24.4% (19) pre-ulcer, 38.5% (30) stage II, 11.5%(9) stage III and 12.8%(10) at stage IV. According to the Braden Scale, half of the patients hospitalized showed severe risk of PU development, while 20.5% (16) showed moderate risk and 19.3% (15) showed low risk.ConclusionsThe study showed a high risk of PU development, indicating the importance of having knowledge about the main characteristics of the hospitalized patients who may develop pressure ulcers, and, thus, preventing them.

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