Skin Failure: Results of a Think Tank Hosted by the National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel
Summary: This think tank report, led by a multidisciplinary panel convened in August 2024 by the National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel, examined the concept of “skin failure” in critically ill adults. The group discussed definitions, differentiation from pressure injury, underlying etiology, and implications for diagnosis, coding, and research.
Key Highlights:
- Skin failure defined: The panel considered skin failure to be a non-pressure–related injury that occurs despite standard preventive interventions and for which no other cause is evident.
- Etiologic hypotheses: Hypoperfusion was identified as a likely contributing factor, though the exact pathophysiology remains unsettled and lacks histopathologic confirmation.
- Clinical vs pressure injury: The panel emphasized differentiation between skin failure and pressure injuries, as they may have distinct mechanisms and implications for treatment and coding.
- Research gaps: The think tank highlighted the need for studies to define reproducible clinical features, natural history, diagnostic criteria, and classification of skin failure.
- Implications for practice: Without standardized diagnostic criteria or coding, skin failure remains a conceptual term rather than a formal clinical diagnosis.
Read the full abstract on JWOCN
Keywords:
Joyce Black,
Jill Cox,
Janet Cuddigan,
Jessie Jenkins,
Hadar Lev-Tov,
Joshua Mervis,
T. Samuel Nwafor,
Vicky Pontieri-Lewis,
Marilyn Schallom,
Carri Siedlik,
Nicole Siparsky,
Kathleen Vollman,
Nicole Walkowiak,
skin failure