• Juan E Blümel, Karina Tirado, Claudia Schiele, Gabriela Schönffeldt, and Salvador Sarrá.
• Departamento Medicina Sur, Universidad de Chile, Santiago de Chile.
• Rev Med Chil. 2004 May 1;132(5):595-600.

BackgroundPressure ulcers are a common complication among elderly patients confined to bed for long periods. The Braden scale is a commonly used risk assessment tool.AimTo evaluate the use of Braden scale.Patients And MethodsSeventy women aged 61 to 96 years, admitted to the Internal Medicine Service of Barros Luco-Trudeau Hospital, were studied. Their risk was evaluated using the Braden scale. The presence of pressure ulcer was diagnosed according to the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel on admission, two weeks later and at discharge.ResultsOn admission, mean Braden scale score was 16.6+/-2.8 and 34 women had a score of 16 or less, that is considered of risk. Twenty five women (20 with a score of 16 or less) developed pressure ulcers, mostly superficial. The odds ratio of a score of 16 or less for the development of ulcers was 4.2 (95% CI 1.8-11.7, p <0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of such score were 80 and 69% respectively.ConclusionsThe Braden scale predicts the risk of developing pressure ulcers with a good sensitivity and specificity in female elderly patients.

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