Relation between the serum albumin level and nutrition supply in patients with pressure ulcers: retrospective study in an acute care setting

Abstract

This retrospective study examined the validity of the commonly used serum albumin level as an indicator of nutrition status of patients with pressure ulcer(s), particularly because the serum albumin level is affected by various factors and may not be specific to malnutrition. Specifically, we investigated whether nutrition supply or inflammation affects the serum albumin level in 82 patients with pressure ulcers(s) (29 in whom pressure ulcer was present upon admission and 53 in whom pressure ulcer developed after hospital admission). Serum albumin levels, blood test including C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and blood count, caloric intake, and depth and healing of pressure ulcers were compared between various subgroups of patients. Serum albumin levels correlated with red blood cell counts and hemoglobin and CRP levels but not with caloric intake. The correlation with CRP before and after several weeks of pressure ulcer treatment was negative. The serum albumin level upon admission was higher in patients in whom the ulcer healed than in those in whom it did not heal as well as in patients who were discharged than in those who died in the hospital. The serum albumin level appears to reflect inflammation, wound healing, and disease severity rather than nutrition supply in patients with pressure ulcer. J. Med. Invest. 61: 15-21, February, 2014.