Publication date: Aug 01, 2026
This study addresses the incidence, characteristics, risk factors of pressure ulcers in patients treated prone according to a standardized protocol, with validated, reliable ulcer assessment. In this retrospective single-centre cohort study, adult, mechanically ventilated COVID-19 ARDS patients undergoing prone positioning according to a standardized protocol were included. Incidence, location, and category of ulcers were determined from photographic documentation, cases without photos were excluded. Three independent assessors classified ulcers, with interrater agreement calculated. Descriptive statistics, group comparisons, and regression analyses evaluated associations with prone positioning frequency and duration. Between March 2020 and February 2023 105 patients with a mean age of 65 years were included (74. 3% male). Forty patients (38. 1%) developed at least one pressure ulcer. Category 2 pressure ulcer were the most frequent (85. 9%), with the chin (32. 4%) and forehead (21. 1%) as the most common locations. The likelihood of developing a pressure ulcer increased significantly with increasing numbers of prone sessions (5-7 sessions (p
| Concepts | Keywords |
|---|---|
| Covid | Interrater-reliability |
| February | Pressure ulcers |
| Statistics | Prone positioning |
| Ulcers | Respiratory distress syndrome |
| Retrospective cohort study |
Semantics
| Type | Source | Name |
|---|---|---|
| disease | MESH | pressure ulcers |
| disease | MESH | ulcer |
| disease | MESH | COVID-19 |
| disease | MESH | included |
| disease | MESH | Respiratory distress syndrome |