NURSING CARE FOR PATIENTS WITH PRESSURE INJURIES AND KENNEDY TERMINALL INJURIES IN THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT ENVIRONMENT

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.15951025110214

• Palavras-chave: Prevention. Pressure injuries. Nursing. Palliative care.

• Keywords: Prevention. Pressure injuries. Nursing. Palliative care.

• Abstract:

  INTRODUCTION: integumentary failure is common in cancer patients and/or those who are hospitalized in intensive care units, and even those who are under palliative care or in the process of finitude, giving rise to wounds, which can be caused by the pathology itself or by processes of aggression to the skin resulting from the fragility that people find themselves in due to their neurological state, leading them to immobility in bed or loss of autonomy. OBJECTIVE: To describe the main nursing strategies for preventing pressure injuries in patients who are restricted to bed in intensive care units or other hospitalization units, or even receiving care from the nursing team in primary care. METHODOLOGY: Integrative literature review with a qualitative approach, carried out between August and December 2024. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The studies show the importance of using protocols to prevent PPL in the service, including multi-professional and institutional involvement, that patients who have these skin lesions at the end of their lives have a higher risk of death than patients who do not have PPL, and show that skin inspection, weight control, change of decubitus, hydration, use of special mattresses and hydrocolloids, favor the prevention of these lesions. CONCLUSION: The debate on this topic leads us to reflect on a scientific path based on both skin assessment and the risks of developing PPL, the use of protocols to guide clinical practice and the interventions needed to manage PPL, in order to provide patients with more comfort and quality of life, even if they are already under palliative care or in the process of ending their lives