Pressure Injury Incidence and Risk Factors in Neonates Undergoing Surgical Intervention: A Prospective Study

The aim of this study is to determine the incidence of pressure injuries (PI) and risk factors in neonatal patients followed up in the intensive care unit undergoing surgical intervention. Neonates are recognised as a patient population at high risk of pressure injury. Although the incidence of PI in hospitalised neonates is high, epidemiological studies on postoperative PI and affecting factors in hospitalised infants are scarce. A prospective, descriptive study. This study report follows the STROBE checklist. This study was conducted with 105 patients who received postoperative care in the neonatal intensive care unit of the gynaecology and obstetrics hospital of a province in XXX between November 2023 and January 2024. The Neonatal Descriptive Characteristics Form, Neonatal Q Pressure Ulcer Risk Assessment Scale, and the NPUAP Pressure Injury Classification System were used to collect data. The mean Neonatal Q Pressure Ulcer Risk Assessment Scale risk score of patients included in the research was 18.42, and 87% of those who developed PI had a risk of skin disorders. 21.9% of the neonatal patients developed PI, and 14.3% of them had Stage II PI. The majority of PI developed in the back region, and the rate of pressure injury was higher in those who underwent cardiopulmonary surgery longer than 3 h. It was determined that the use of medical equipment such as a central venous catheter, urinary catheter, drainage tube, and vasoactive drugs affected the rate of postoperative pressure injury development in neonates. The neonatals admitted in intensive care unit undergoing surgery suffered PIs. In the case of intensive care units, the incidence is even higher. The risk increases with cardiopulmonary surgery while the presence of medical devices is the main risk factor.