Facial Pressure Injuries from Prone Positioning in the COVID‐19 Era

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Facial Pressure Injuries from Prone Positioning in the COVID‐19 Era Via The Laryngoscope Objective/Hypothesis This study aimed to determine the incidence of facial pressure injuries associated with prone positioning for COVID-19 patients as well as to characterize the location of injuries and treatments provided. Methods This was a retrospective chart review of 263 COVID-19 positive patients requiring intubation in the intensive care units at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and MedStar Washington Hospital Center between March 1st and July 26th, 2020. Information regarding proning status, duration of proning, presence, or absence of facial pressure injuries and interventions were collected. Paired two-tailed t-test was used to evaluate differences between proned patients who developed pressure injuries with those who did not. Results Overall, 143 COVID-19 positive patients required proning while intubated with the average duration of proning being 5.15 days. Of those proned, 68 (47.6%) developed a facial pressure injury. The most common site involved was the cheek with a total of 57 (84%) followed by ears (50%). The average duration of proning for patients who developed a pressure injury was significantly longer when compared to those who did not develop pressure injuries (6.79 days vs. 3.64 days, P < .001). Conclusions Facial pressure injuries occur with high incidence in patients with COVID-19 who undergo prone positioning. Longer duration of proning appears to confer greater risk for developing these pressure injuries. Hence, improved preventative measures and early interventions are needed. Level of Evidence 4 Laryngoscope, 131:E2139–E2142, 2021 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.