BACKGROUND: To determine the prevalence and analyze the profile of patients with pressure sores, focusing on risk factors, the patients' clinical characteristics at a tertiary care center, as well as stage and location of the lesions on the body. METHODS: This was a cross sectional not controlled observational study, all patients admitted from April to June of 2005 were observed daily to identify all cases of pressure sores. The affected patients were evaluated by a standard questionnaire and the Scale of Braden was applied to define the risk of developing ulcers. RESULTS: Of the 690 patients admitted during the referred period, a prevalence of 5.9% of patients with lesions was observed, equivalent to 41 patients 63.9% of which were elderly and the average length of stay was 18 days. In the sample studied 41.5% of patients were found in the internal medicine section and the intensive care unit, ICU. The most common location for sores was the sacral area, corresponding to 73.1% of the patients, and stage II was the most frequent, observed in 58.5% of those patients. According to the Braden scale, most patients, 80.4%, had a high risk of developing pressure ulcers, compared to 9.7% of patients with moderate risk and 7.4% with low risk. CONCLUSION: The affected patients were at high risk of developing pressure sores. Prevalence of these lesions and the clinical and demographic profile of the affected patients are in accordance with the data in literature.
Pressure sores; Prevalence; Epidemiology
