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BACKGROUND: Age-associated multimorbidity and polypharmacy, predispose individuals to falls and consequent hip fractures. We examined the impact of polypharmacy (≥ 4 drugs daily), including anticholinergic agents, on hospital length of stay (LOS), mobility within 1-day of hip surgery and pressure ulcers in adults ≥ 60 years admitted with hip fractures. METHODS: In this retrospective observational study, information on medications at admission was obtained to calculate the total number of drugs taken, including those imposing an anticholinergic burden (ACB). Associations between variables were examined by logistic regression; adjusted for age, sex, co-morbidities, pre-fracture functional limitations and alcohol consumption. RESULTS: There were 787 women and 318 men of similar mean age (± SD): 83.1 years (± 8.6) and 82.5 years (± 9.0), respectively. Compared to patients with an ACB score = 0 and taking < 4 drugs daily, those with an ACB score ≥ 1 and taking ≥ 4 drugs daily had greater risk of prolonged LOS (≥ 2 weeks), OR 1.8 (1.2-2.7); failure to mobilise within 1-day of surgery, OR 1.9 (1.1-3.3); and pressure ulcers, OR 3.0 (95% CI 1.2-7.9). LOS was further prolonged by failure to mobilise within 1-day of surgery and/or pressure ulcers. Those with either an ACB score ≥ 1 or the use of ≥ 4 drugs daily had intermediate risks. CONCLUSIONS: Anticholinergic agents and polypharmacy in patients with hip fractures are associated with longer LOS in hospital, further accentuated by failure to mobilise within 1-day after surgery and pressure ulcers. This study provides further evidence of the impact of polypharmacy, including those with an ACB, on adverse health outcomes and lends support to reduce potentially inappropriate prescribing.

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Drug-induced pressure ulcer (DIPU), which is a newly recognized adverse drug reaction, is associated with the administration of psychiatric drugs in geriatric patients with dementia. The notification of the causative drugs is crucial to the treatment of DIPU. We herein report the case of a 56-year-old woman with early-stage Parkinson's disease who developed DIPUs after starting olanzapine treatment for depressive symptoms. Our findings illustrate that if an akinetic patient with pressure ulcers is encountered, the patient's medication should be reviewed by a multidisciplinary team, to evaluate whether the development of the pressure ulcer is drug-related, regardless of the patient's age.

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BACKGROUND: Vasopressors are lifesaving agents used to raise mean arterial pressure in critically ill patients in shock states. The pharmacodynamics of these agents suggest vasopressors may play a role in development of pressure ulcers; however, this aspect has been understudied. OBJECTIVE: To examine associations between type, dose, and duration of vasopressors (norepinephrine, epinephrine, vasopressin, phenylephrine, dopamine) and development of pressure ulcers in medical-surgical and cardiothoracic intensive care unit patients and to examine predictors of the development of pressure ulcers in these patients. METHODS: A retrospective correlational design was used in a sample of 306 medical-surgical and cardiothoracic intensive care unit patients who received vasopressor agents during 2012. RESULTS: Norepinephrine and vasopressin were significantly associated with development of pressure ulcers; vasopressin was the only significant predictor in multivariate analysis. In addition, mean arterial pressure less than 60 mm Hg in patients receiving vasopressors, cardiac arrest, and mechanical ventilation longer than 72 hours were predictive of development of pressure ulcers. Patients with a cardiac diagnosis at the time of admission to the intensive care unit were less likely than patients without such a diagnosis to experience pressure ulcers while in the unit. CONCLUSION: The addition of vasopressin administered concomitantly with a first-line agent (often norepinephrine) may represent the point at which the risk for pressure ulcers escalates and may be an early warning to heighten strategies to prevent pressure ulcers. Conversely, because vasopressors cannot be terminated to avert development of pressure ulcers, these findings may add to the body of knowledge on factors that potentially contribute to the development of unavoidable pressure ulcers.

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To develop an experimental model and evaluate the effects of the magnitude and duration of pressure, the rat abdominal wall (25x20 mm) was subjected to compression either by a weight or by two magnets. In the weight compression tests, a steel plate was inserted under anesthesia into the rat peritoneal cavity, and the abdominal wall was compressed in situ between the underlying steel plate and a weight placed on the abdominal wall. This method resulted in moderate changes in the subcutaneous connective tissue and muscle at 100 mmHg (13.3 kPa) for 4 h, while some muscle damage was observed at 50 mmHg (6.7 kPa) for 4 h and at 100 mmHg for 2 or 3 h. In the magnet pinching tests, a magnet was inserted into the peritoneal cavity, and another magnet overlaid on the skin. Then the abdominal wall was compressed by the two magnets with or without anesthesia. The compression without anesthesia produced significant edema and injuries of the abdominal wall at 50 mmHg for 4 h and at 100 mmHg for 3 or 4 h, while the injuries incurred at 100 mmHg for 2 h were mild. Susceptibility to pressure was high in the muscle, moderate in the subcutaneous connective tissue, and low in the skin. The compression with anesthesia produced significantly milder injuries than those under anesthesia. These findings indicate that the difference in the extent of injuries between the weight compression and magnet compression models are clearly attributable to the pentobarbital anesthesia induced during the compression. Results therefore show that experimental pressure ulcers should be examined in a waking condition and that magnet compression is a useful model for studying the pathogenesis of pressure ulcers.

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One hundred and sixty-seven patients were part of a cross-sectional study examining pressure sores in patients in skilled nursing facilities. Every patient admitted to this study was physically examined for the presence or absence of pressure sores and evaluated according to a standardized procedure. Using logistic regression analysis, the variables most significantly associated with pressure sores included a history of hypertension, infection, unwelcome response to visitors, history of poor dietary intake and a pattern of slow or poor response to commands. Knowledge of these factors may lead to more intensive efforts to develop better methods of prevention and treatment of pressure sores.

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