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Biomedical subjects

N Bergstrom

Publications and source records attributed to N Bergstrom.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

A prospective study of pressure sore risk among institutionalized elderly.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if dietary intake, nutritional status, and other physical markers are risk factors for the development of pressure sores in the elderly. DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: 250-bed skilled nursing facility with 90 extended care beds in which the average length of stay is 28 days. PATIENTS: Two hundred newly admitted residents (70% female, 95% Caucasian) who were over age 65, estimated to stay greater than 10 days, at risk for pressure sore development (Braden Scale score less than or equal to 17) but free of existing pressure sores were studied for 12 weeks or until discharge. MEASURES: Skin assessment, Braden Scale score, blood pressure, body temperature, anthropometrics, and dietary intake were studied weekly. CBC, serum albumin, serum total protein, serum iron, iron binding capacity, serum zinc and copper, and serum vitamin C were studied weekly for 4 weeks and biweekly for 8 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Presence/absence and stage of pressure sores. MAIN RESULTS: Stage I pressure sores developed in 70 (35%) and Stage 2 or worse in 77 (38.5%) residents. Subjects who developed pressure sores were older (P less than 0.001) and had lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure (P less than 0.001) and higher body temperature (P less than 0.001) than those without pressure sores. Dietary intake of all nutrients was lower among subjects who developed pressure sores. Using logistic regression, the best predictors or pressure sore development were the Braden Scale score, diastolic blood pressure, temperature, dietary protein intake, and age. CONCLUSIONS: Risk assessment is recommended upon admission to a nursing home and weekly for the first month. Risk status can be effectively predicted by using the Braden Scale in combination with knowledge of age, blood pressure, temperature, and dietary protein intake.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1992

A research agenda for pressure ulcer prevention.

The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) Guideline Panel on Pressure Ulcers completed a comprehensive review of the literature related to the prediction and prevention of pressure ulcers in adults. On the basis of this review, the panel formulated a guideline for care. Additionally, the analysis of published research revealed gaps in knowledge, research issues, and methodological problems that need attention in future studies. The following were identified as focus areas for the future: research with pressure ulcers status as the outcome rather than other intermediate outcomes; studies of product and intervention efficacy; further delineation of pressure ulcer staging; refinement of risk assessment tools; and testing of risk-based multi-intervention trials.

Humans↗
PubMed1991

Nutritional status, pressure sores, and mortality in elderly patients with cancer.

This prospective study aimed to determine differences in nutritional status, incidence of pressure sores, and incidence of mortality between two groups, one composed of 33 elderly, institutionalized patients with cancer and the other a matched group of 33 patients without cancer. Subjects with cancer were paired with subjects without cancer based on age (mean = 78), sex, and pressure sore risk. Skin breakdown, dietary intake, and blood and serum indices of nutritional status were studied for 12 weeks. Of the subjects with cancer, 85% developed pressure sores, compared to 70% of the subjects without cancer. Hemoglobin (Hgb) (female), serum total protein, total lymphocyte count, serum albumin, serum total iron binding capacity, and serum transferrin were significantly lower in subjects with cancer with pressure sores than in subjects without cancer with pressure sores. Total lymphocyte count and serum total protein were significantly lower in subjects with cancer with pressure sores than in subjects with cancer without pressure sores. Kwashiorkor was found in 70% of the subjects with cancer, compared to 21% of the subjects without cancer. During the study, 39% of the subjects with cancer and 15% of the subjects without cancer died. All 13 of the subjects with cancer who died had kwashiorkor and pressure sores and had died an average of three weeks after developing pressure sores. These results implicate that elderly patients with cancer who have protein deficiencies should be considered to be at risk of pressure sore development. Frequent repositioning and mattress overlays that reduce pressure and increase comfort may delay development of pressure sores.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Subjective distresses of nasogastric tube feeding.

Health care professionals assume that tube feeding is an unpleasant, distressing experience for patients, which is only partially substantiated by experience. Thirty patients were interviewed via a tube feeding and hospital experience checklist (a 47-item interview schedule). Common experiences were operationally defined as those felt by at least 50%; subjectively distressful experiences were those identified by patients as causing distress. The most common and most distressful experiences of nasogastric tube feeding were: sensory irritations and sensory deprivation. The psychosensory irritation experiences were: thirst, sore nose or throat, dry mouth, runny nose, a tube in the nose, taking food through a tube, breathing through the mouth, breathing with a tube in the nose, taking food in a treatment type container, and taking food with a different texture and smell than usual. The psychosensory deprivation experiences were: an unsatisfied appetite for certain foods, deprivation of tasting, chewing, swallowing food, and drinking liquids, limited mobility, and deprivation of regular food. Except for burping, gastrointestinal symptoms were not common though they were usually distressful. This information has been used to develop teaching programs which are being tested for effectiveness in reducing distress associated with nasogastric tube feeding.

Adult↗