Dermatological problems and dermatology consultations in intensive care units [Yoğun bakım Ünitesinde karşılaşılan dermatolojik sorunlar ve dermatoloji konsültasyonu]

Objective: dermatological problems are common in intensive care patients. critically ill patients show dysfunctions of their vital organs. skin,like other organs,is affected by a range of disorders. because of the characteristics of an intensive care unit (icu),dermatological problems are overlooked in day-to-day clinical practice. the aim of this study was to analyze dermatological problems in our icu. material and methods: we retrospectively analyzed patient data between january 2008 and january 2013,including dermatological consultation. all files of dermatologi-cal consultations were evaluated in detail. results: during the study period,1532 new cases were admitted to the icu. the most common reason of hospitalization in the icu was sepsis and pulmonary disorders. thirty-three patients with dermatological problems were detected: 17 (51%) women and 16 (49%) men. the average age of the patients was 60.27±19.46 years. the percent of patients who consulted the dermatology department was 2.2% (n: 33). three patients consulted the department multiple times. the highest incidence of seasonal distribution was during winter (36% of all cases). skin problems developed in 20 patients in the icu. these dermatological problems were caused by drug eruptions (18%),diaper dermatitis (15.2%),stasis dermatitis (15.2%),decubitus ulcer (6.1%),and others (8.9%). there was no specific lesion in the patients in the icu. conclusion: the dermatology consultation rate is very low in the icu. after the treatment of patients with primary disease that requires hospitalization in the icu,other problems such as skin lesions should be treated early. © 2015 by turkish society of medical and surgical intensive care medicine.