Examining Factors That Contribute to Delayed Wound Healing in Children with Tracheostomy Wounds.

OBJECTIVE

To identify variables that may contribute to delayed wound healing times in pediatric patients with tracheostomy wounds.

DESIGN

Researchers identified 134 charts spanning January 2013 to June 2017; 95 charts met the inclusion criteria. The study examined Pressure Ulcer Scale for Healing (PUSH) scores, pressure injury staging, and albumin levels.

SETTING

Arkansas Children's Hospital.

PATIENTS

Patients (birth to 18 years) who developed or were admitted with a wound caused by a tracheostomy device.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Time in days to wound closure.

MAIN RESULTS

There was a moderate positive correlation between albumin and days to healing (r = 0.432, n = 22, P = .045) with higher albumin levels associated with shorter healing times. The PUSH scores and pressure injury stage were significant in explaining 14.1% of variance in days to healing (F77,2 = 7.458; P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Wound healing appears to be multifactorial in nature in the pediatric population; albumin levels, pressure injury stage, and PUSH scores are all positively correlated with healing times. Further research is needed to investigate the contribution of race to healing time predication for the pediatric population.