Bioelectrical impedance as a discriminator of pressure ulcer risk.

In an effort to identify objective measures of tissue structure and function associated with pressure ulcer risk, bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) was measured in three progressively larger zones over the trochanter and coccyx in patients assessed at high risk for pressure ulcers (HR group) and age-matched normal controls (CONT group). Local BIA measures were significantly lower in the HR group for each individual site and zone (p < .01). Full-thickness tissue biopsies obtained from each measurement zone did not differ between groups. However, additional nutritional and metabolic parameters were significantly different (p < or = .05). These results suggest that local BIA may be useful in assessing pressure ulcer risk.