Predictors of Pressure Injury Development and Clinical Course in ICU Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Objective: This study evaluated the relationships between the development and clinical course of pressure injuries (PIs) and neurological status, nutritional risk, and laboratory parameters among patients admitted to a tertiary intensive care unit. Materials and Methods: The single-center, retrospective, observational study included 220 patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit for at least 5 days. On the day of admission, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II), Braden, and Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS-2002) scores were assessed. Demographic characteristics, comorbidities, need for sedation and vasopressors, and laboratory parameters during the first 24 h (albumin, C-reactive protein, lactate, D-dimer) were analyzed. Factors independently associated with new PI development and clinical improvement were identified using binary logistic regression. Results: New PIs developed in 25% of patients. Patients with PI progression were older and had lower GCS and Braden scores, higher NRS-2002 scores, lower albumin levels, and higher D-dimer levels (p < 0.05). In multivariable analysis, low GCS (OR = 0.824), presence of comorbidity (OR = 2.327), and a high NRS-2002 risk level were independent predictors of new PI development. The model’s discriminative ability was acceptable (AUC = 0.756). Among patients with existing PIs, NRS-2002 score (OR = 0.450) and age (OR = 1.058) were independently associated with clinical improvement in an exploratory multivariable model. Conclusions: NRS-2002 was the only variable independently associated with both new PI development and the clinical improvement of existing lesions, underscoring the central role of nutritional risk assessment in ICU-based PI prevention and prognosis.