Multidisciplinary treatment protocol for ischiatic, sacral, trochanteric or other pressure injuries in people with spinal cord injury: a retrospective cohort study

tudy design: Retrospective cohort study Objectives: to describe the incidence and the associated risk factors of post-surgical complications and recurrence in individuals with spinal cord injury/disorder (SCI/D) presenting deep pressure injuries (PIs), treated with a specific surgical and rehabilitation treatment protocol. Setting: Tertiary Rehabilitation Hospital for SCI/D in Italy. Methods: Retrospective analysis of the medical records of adult individuals with SCI/D, who developed a PI after the first discharge from a Spinal Unit, underwent flap surgery for PI between July 2011 and January 2018. The statistical unit of analysis was the surgical intervention. Logistic regression analysis with robust standard errors was performed to assess risk factors of post-surgical complications. Results: 434 surgical intervention records were included, for a total of 378 patients. The treated PIs were ischiatic in 56.2% of the cases, sacral in 32.5%, trochanteric in 15.7%, and 5.8% were in other sites. In 239 cases (55.1%) a histological diagnosis of osteomyelitis was confirmed. Minor complications occurred in 13.6% of interventions, while major complications were 3.9%. Sacral PI (OR = 2.55, 95%CI: 1.50–4.35) and muscular/musculocutaneous flap (OR = 2.12, 95%CI: 1.05–4.28) were significant factors associated with risk of post-surgical complications. After a mean follow-up of 21 months (range 12–36), six people (1.4%) had a recurrence. Patients with a recurrence had at least one comorbidity compared to 57% of people without recurrences (p = 0.036). Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that complication and recurrence rates can be minimized when an established interdisciplinary and rehabilitation protocol is integrated in the clinical management.