Abstract: Objective To evaluate the association between hemoglobin(Hb) level and hospital acquired pressure ulcer(HAPU) in the elderly long-term inpatients. Methods A total of 838 elderly long-term inpatients(aged≥80 years) in Geriatric Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from 2017 to 2021 were selected. The patients' general information,the condition of stay in bed, incontinence and pressure ulcers, the status of cognition, Braden score and Hb level were collected. Single factor analysis and multivariate Logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the influencing factors of HAPU in the elderly long-term inpatients. Results Among 838 patients, 78 cases presented with HAPU, with an incidence rate of 9.31%. The patients with HAPU were mainly distributed in Intensive Care Unit, Hematology Oncology Department, Nephrology Department and Geriatric Department. Mann-Whitney U test showed that the incidence rate of HAPU in the patients with different Hb level was statistically significant(P<0.001). When the level of Hb decreased from ≥130 g/L to <100 g/L, the incidence rate of HAPU increased from 6.19% to 20.63%. Binary Logistic regression analysis showed that stay in bed, low Braden score and low Hb level were the independent risk factors for HAPU in the elderly long-term inpatients. Conclusions The Hb level of elderly long-term inpatients is associated with the risk of HAPU, so it is necessary to monitor the level of Hb in these patients.

Key words: hemoglobin, advanced age, long term hospitalization, hospital acquired pressure ulcer