Nursing interventions to prevent pressure injury among open heart surgery patients: A systematic review

BackgroundNurses are vital in identifying and preventive pressure injuries (PIs) in hospitalized patients undergoing open heart surgery. Interventions to prevent PIs are crucial for every critical patient, and it's essential to recognize that preventing PIs involves a complex intervention.AimTo examine the nursing interventions for the prevention of PI in patients with open heart surgery.MethodA systematic review study. Web of Science, Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus, MEDLINE Ultimate, CINAHL Ultimate, ULAKBIM, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar and university library databases were scanned. The initial search performed in the databases was updated on 4 February 2023, and on 7 April 2024, for potential publications included in that period. Data between February 2013 and April 2024 were scanned. The databases were searched with the keywords 'pressure injury', 'nursing interventions' and 'open heart surgery'. The systematic compilation process was carried out in accordance with the guidelines in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guide.ResultsSeventeen studies were examined using nursing interventions that applied to the selected study population. Care packages included an inflatable head pad, a pressure sensor mattress cover, multi-layer silicone foam, pressure-reducing coatings, endotracheal tube (ETT) repositioning and cuff pressure regulation. Interventions to reduce PI in open heart surgery patients are applied in the preadmission, perioperative and postoperative periods.ConclusionIt was concluded that care packages, inflatable head pads, pressure sensor bedspreads, multi-layered silicone foam, pressure-reducing covers, ETT repositioning and cuff pressure regulation were effective in all nursing interventions. The strength of the available evidence was rated from strong to weak.Relevance to Clinical PracticeThese findings reveal an efficient combination of multi-component nursing interventions for preventing PIs in planning patient care in the intensive care. The interventions that are used throughout the patient's entire care process are crucial for the prevention of PIs.