Surgery for pressure ulcers improves general health and quality of life in patients with spinal cord injury

Study Design:

Prospective clinical study.

Background:

Pressure ulcers interfere with the rehabilitation process in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and are a significant deterrent to participation in activities that contribute to independent, productive, and satisfying life.

Objective:

To evaluate the effect of surgery for pressure ulcers on general health and quality of life in patients with SCI.

Setting:

Tertiary care center in northern India.

Methods:

Various types of flap surgery were performed on 30 patients with SCI and 32 pressure ulcers (stages III and IV). Outcome was evaluated using general improvement in health (hemoglobin, serum proteins, and general well-being), patient satisfaction, and global quality of life scores (according to the visual analog scale).

Results:

At admission, the mean values of global quality of life, hemoglobin, serum albumin, and total serum proteins were 50.15 (range, 30–65), 8.75 g/dL (range, 6–12 g/dL), 3.12 g/dL (range, 2.9–4.3 g/dL), and 5.21 (range, 5–6.2 g/dL), respectively. At 6-month follow up, mean values of global quality of life score, hemoglobin, serum albumin, and total serum proteins were 87.36 (range, 44–96), 10.85 g/dL (range, 8.2–13.5 g/dL), 3.89 g/dL (range, 3.2–4.5 g/dL), and 6.43 g/dL (range, 5.85–6.70 g/dL), respectively. The overall rise in quality of life scores, hemoglobin, serum albumin, and total serum proteins was statistically significant. Most of the patients (76.7%) reported improvement in subjective well-being, and 83.3% were satisfied with the ultimate outcome of the surgery.

Conclusion:

Results suggest that surgery for stages III and IV pressure ulcers offers the greatest benefit to the patients in terms of improvement in general health (anemia, hypoproteinemia, and general well-being) and quality of life.