Preparação e caracterização de catalisadores à base de titânio suportado em MCM-41 para produção de compostos oxigenados através da pirólise catalítica do capim elefante

In recent years, the area of advanced materials has been considerably, especially when it comes to materials for industrial use, such as is the case with structured porosity of catalysts suitable for catalytic processes. The use of catalysts combined with the fast pyrolysis process is an alternative to the oxygenate production of high added value, because, in addition to increasing the yield and quality of products, allows you to manipulate the selectivity to a product of interest, and therefore allows greater control over the characteristics of the final product. Based on these arguments, in this work were prepared titanium catalysts supported on MCM-41 for use in catalytic pyrolysis of biomass, called elephant grass. The reactions of pyrolysis of biomass were performed in a micro pyrolyzer, Py-5200, coupled to GC / MS, the company CDS Corporation, headquartered in the United States. The catalysts Ti-MCM-41 in different molar ratios were characterized by XRD, TG / DTG, FT-IR, SEM, XRF, UV-visible adsorption of nitrogen and the distribution of particle diameter and specific surface area measurement by the BET method. From the catalytic tests it was observed that the catalysts synthesized showed good results for the pyrolysis reaction.The main products were obtained a higher yield of aldehydes, ketones and furan. It was observed that the best reactivity is a direct function of the ratio Si/Ti, nature and concentration of the active species on mesoporous supports. Among the catalysts Ti-MCM-41 (molar ratio Si / Ti = 25 and 50), the ratio Si / Ti = 25 (400 ° C and 600 ° C) favored the cracking of oxygenates such as acids , aldehydes, ketones, furans and esters. Already the sample ratio Si / Ti = 50 had the highest yield of aromatic oxygenates

Pirólise rápida catalítica do capim elefante utilizando materiais mesoporosos e óxidos metálicos para deoxigenação em bio-óleo

The fast pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass is a thermochemical conversion process for production energy which have been very atratactive due to energetic use of its products: gas (CO, CO2, H2, CH4, etc.), liquid (bio-oil) and charcoal. The bio-oil is the main product of fast pyrolysis, and its final composition and characteristics is intrinsically related to quality of biomass (ash disposal, moisture, content of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin) and efficiency removal of oxygen compounds that cause undesirable features such as increased viscosity, instability, corrosiveness and low calorific value. The oxygenates are originated in the conventional process of biomass pyrolysis, where the use of solid catalysts allows minimization of these products by improving the bio-oil quality. The present study aims to evaluate the products of catalytic pyrolysis of elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum) using solid catalysts as tungsten oxides, supported or not in mesoporous materials like MCM-41, derived silica from rice husk ash, aimed to reduce oxygenates produced in pyrolysis. The biomasss treatment by washing with heated water (CEL) or washing with acid solution (CELix) and application of tungsten catalysts on vapors from the pyrolysis process was designed to improve the pyrolysis products quality. Conventional and catalytic pyrolysis of biomass was performed in a micro-pyrolyzer, Py-5200, coupled to GC/MS. The synthesized catalysts were characterized by X ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, X ray fluorescence, temperature programmed reduction and thermogravimetric analysis. Kinetic studies applying the Flynn and Wall model were performed in order to evaluate the apparent activation energy of holoceluloce thermal decomposition on samples elephant grass (CE, CEL and CELix). The results show the effectiveness of the treatment process, reducing the ash content, and were also observed decrease in the apparent activation energy of these samples. The catalytic pyrolysis process converted most of the oxygenate componds in aromatics such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, etc

Produção de ovinos em pastagem de capim-massai suplementados na estação seca

The low quality of tropical pastures in the dry season justifies the use of dietary supplements to meet the nutritional needs of sheep to meat production. Therefore, the objective of this experiment was to evaluate the agronomic characteristics of massaigrass in the dry season and the effect of protein supplements in the performance and productivity of sheep to meat production grazing. The protein supplements evaluated were: soybean meal, Leucena hay, Gliricidia hay and multiple mixture. The animals were managed in massaigrass pastures under rotational stocking and supplemented daily. Were used 24 sheep ½ Santa Inês x ½ SPRD (without defined breed), males uncastrated, mean age 90 days in a completely randomized design. Performance of sheep was evaluated for average daily gain of live weight gain per area and stocking rate (animals of 25 kg/ha). The pasture was evaluated for forage mass of pre and post-grazing, the percentages of participation of morphological constituents and their nutritional values and rates of herbage accumulation. The total herbage mass decreased throughout the dry season. Crude protein and in vitro digestibility of organic matter of the leaf were higher in the upper 15 cm of the canopy stratum. The average daily weight gain of the animals supplemented with legume hay was similar to that gained by animals supplemented with soybean meal in the four grazing cycles. The total live weight gain of animals supplemented with legume hay was higher than the animals supplemented only with multiple mixing the first two grazing cycles. Hays of Leucena and Gliricidia can be given for supplementation of sheep maintained on pasture

Desempenho de novilhos alimentados com dieta suplementar em pastos de capim-mombaça

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of supplements feeding on growth of calves grazing a Panicum maximum cv. Mombaça pasture during the dry season. The experimental design was a randomized blocks with three treatments and three replications. The treatments were: mineral salt ad libidum; multiple mixture (MM) fed at 0.2% of live weight (PV); and, concentrate feed (SC) fed at 0.7% of PV. Thirty six weaned calves averaging eight months and 192 kg of initial live weight were utilized. The masses and pasture components, nutritive value and rate of forage growth were evaluated. Animal performance was measured as average daily gain (ADG) and live weight gain (LWG). The supplemental feeding was adjusted after weighing. There was no difference between periods for forage mass and leaf: stem ratio. The highest values for forage green mass, leaf blades mass and stem percentage were observed in the first trial period. The canopy height and the available forage on offer did not differ among treatments. The percentage of dead was higher for the last periods of evaluation. The leaf: stem ratio and the leaf percentage were greater in the second period. There was significant difference (p<0,05) among treatments for the ADG and were 250, 460 and 770 g/day for salt, MM and SC, respectively. The biggest LWG was observed in the treatment SC. contents of PB, DIVMO, NDF and LDA on leaf blades, thatched roofs and dead material dead not differ among treatments. The highest GPV was observed in the SC treatment. The contents of PB, DIVMO, NDF and LDA for leaf blades stem and dead material did not differ among treatments. Independent of the use supplements , it is possible to keep steers gaining weight, during dry season, since the stocking rate is appropriately adjusted

Resposta de ovinos naturalmente infectados por nematoides gastrintestinais em pastos de capim-massai

The aim of this study was to evaluate the crossbred sheep Santa Ines response to natural infections by gastrointestinal nematodes in Panicum maximum cv. pastures Massai at different times of grazing. For this it was used 36 crossbred sheep Santa Inês, divided into four groups and randomly distributed in massai-grass pickets naturally infected by gastrointestinal nematodes. In the period from October 2013 to May 2014, the animals were weekly monitored for hematology tests (packed cell volume) and parasitological (egg counts per gram of feces and fecal culture) in order to monitor the level of infection of sheep and they were assessed for weight, body condition score and staining ocular mucosa by FAMACHA© method. Furthermore infective larvae was recovery from pasture in times of pre-and post-grazing pasture. At 35 kg body weight, the animals were slaughtered and necropsied to collect the contents of the abomasum and small and large intestines to recover the adult parasites, carrying out the count and identification. The animals on pasture with a height of 40 cm pre-grazing obtained low nematode eggs in feces (1608 eggs / g) and 33 cm those in pre-grazing the highest average (2,539 eggs / g). The animals in different groups showed mean values of packed cell volume less than 23% (P> 0.05). Regarding to FAMACHA, the animals belonging to the groups 40 and 50 cm pre-grazing remained over 50% of individuals between FAMACHA 1 and 2 , and those to 33 and 45 cm pre-grazing showed mostly between FAMACHA 3, 4 and 5 (69.06% and 58.93%, respectively). In the culture of larvae in feces and recovery of pasture larvae before and after grazing the following genera were found, in order of prevalence: Haemonchus, Trichostrongylus, Oesophagostomum and Strongyloides. The pasture with 33 cm of pre-grazing provided the highest number of larvae recovered both in the pre and post-grazing (1,081 and 715 L3 / 100 g of green matter, respectively). Among the different groups, the sheep had an average weight of between 23 and 26 kg and variation between the body 1 and 3 scores with scores greater frequency of 1.5 to 2.It can be observed that the animals kept at different times of grazing got different answers on the parasite load. Animals kept in 40 cm pre-grazing expressed a satisfactory answer than the other groups (33, 45 and 50 cm), best supporting the action of endoparasites. Moreover, this same height, was recovered fewer infective larvae on pasture in pre and post-grazing.

Preparação e caracterização de catalisadores à base de titânio suportado em MCM-41 para produção de compostos oxigenados através da pirólise catalítica do capim elefante

In recent years, the area of advanced materials has been considerably, especially when it comes to materials for industrial use, such as is the case with structured porosity of catalysts suitable for catalytic processes. The use of catalysts combined with the fast pyrolysis process is an alternative to the oxygenate production of high added value, because, in addition to increasing the yield and quality of products, allows you to manipulate the selectivity to a product of interest, and therefore allows greater control over the characteristics of the final product. Based on these arguments, in this work were prepared titanium catalysts supported on MCM-41 for use in catalytic pyrolysis of biomass, called elephant grass. The reactions of pyrolysis of biomass were performed in a micro pyrolyzer, Py-5200, coupled to GC / MS, the company CDS Corporation, headquartered in the United States. The catalysts Ti-MCM-41 in different molar ratios were characterized by XRD, TG / DTG, FT-IR, SEM, XRF, UV-visible adsorption of nitrogen and the distribution of particle diameter and specific surface area measurement by the BET method. From the catalytic tests it was observed that the catalysts synthesized showed good results for the pyrolysis reaction.The main products were obtained a higher yield of aldehydes, ketones and furan. It was observed that the best reactivity is a direct function of the ratio Si/Ti, nature and concentration of the active species on mesoporous supports. Among the catalysts Ti-MCM-41 (molar ratio Si / Ti = 25 and 50), the ratio Si / Ti = 25 (400 ° C and 600 ° C) favored the cracking of oxygenates such as acids , aldehydes, ketones, furans and esters. Already the sample ratio Si / Ti = 50 had the highest yield of aromatic oxygenates

Pirólise rápida catalítica do capim elefante utilizando materiais mesoporosos e óxidos metálicos para deoxigenação em bio-óleo

The fast pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass is a thermochemical conversion process for production energy which have been very atratactive due to energetic use of its products: gas (CO, CO2, H2, CH4, etc.), liquid (bio-oil) and charcoal. The bio-oil is the main product of fast pyrolysis, and its final composition and characteristics is intrinsically related to quality of biomass (ash disposal, moisture, content of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin) and efficiency removal of oxygen compounds that cause undesirable features such as increased viscosity, instability, corrosiveness and low calorific value. The oxygenates are originated in the conventional process of biomass pyrolysis, where the use of solid catalysts allows minimization of these products by improving the bio-oil quality. The present study aims to evaluate the products of catalytic pyrolysis of elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum) using solid catalysts as tungsten oxides, supported or not in mesoporous materials like MCM-41, derived silica from rice husk ash, aimed to reduce oxygenates produced in pyrolysis. The biomasss treatment by washing with heated water (CEL) or washing with acid solution (CELix) and application of tungsten catalysts on vapors from the pyrolysis process was designed to improve the pyrolysis products quality. Conventional and catalytic pyrolysis of biomass was performed in a micro-pyrolyzer, Py-5200, coupled to GC/MS. The synthesized catalysts were characterized by X ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, X ray fluorescence, temperature programmed reduction and thermogravimetric analysis. Kinetic studies applying the Flynn and Wall model were performed in order to evaluate the apparent activation energy of holoceluloce thermal decomposition on samples elephant grass (CE, CEL and CELix). The results show the effectiveness of the treatment process, reducing the ash content, and were also observed decrease in the apparent activation energy of these samples. The catalytic pyrolysis process converted most of the oxygenate componds in aromatics such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, etc

Prevenção de úlceras por pressão segundo a perspectiva do enfermeiro intensivista

Analisar a atuação dos enfermeiros de unidade de terapia intensiva na prevenção da úlcera por pressão. Método: trata-se de estudo descritivo desenvolvido com 13 enfermeiros da unidade de terapia intensiva do Hospital Universitário Onofre Lopes (HUOL), em Natal-RN. Foi aplicado um questionário, submetido à análise de conteúdo temática. O estudo foi aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), sob o CAAE n. 0240.0.051.000-10. Resultados: os enfermeiros reportaram a realização da mudança de decúbito, a avaliação de risco, a discussão com os colegas sobre as medidas adotadas, a higiene e hidratação da pele do paciente através de uso de ácidos graxos essenciais e hidratante corporal, o cuidado com a disposição dos lençóis, de forma a evitar dobras, a utilização de colchão de ar e a aplicação de placas de hidrocoloide nas proeminências ósseas. Conclusão: a prática da prevenção das úlceras por pressão aplicada pelos enfermeiros da unidade de terapia intensiva ocorre sem padronização dos cuidados

Caracterização parcial e atividades farmacológicas do extrato rico em polissacarídeos sulfatatos da angiosperma marinha Halodule wrightii

Sulfated polysaccharides (PS) are biomolecules with a great biotechnological potential. There are few data about PS from high plants. In addition, pharmacological activities of PS from plants have not been carrying out. The aim of this work was extract PS from the angiosperm Halodule wrightii and study their anticoagulant and antioxidant activities. Histological analysis showed the presence of the PS manly in the roots. A polysaccharide-rich extract was obtained from H. wrightii by proteolysis followed by methanol and TCA precipitation. Chemical, infra-red analysis and agarose gel electrophoresis in 1.3 diaminopropane acetate buffer confirmed the presence of sulfated polysaccharides made by glucose, galactose, xylose and sulfate residues in the proportion 1: 0,9: 1: 1. In addition polyacrilamide electrophoresis have shown that extract is mainly compose by 11kDa sulfated polysaccharides. Pharmacological analysis have shown total antioxidant capacity (CAT) that resulted in 15,21 μg for equivalent of ascorbic acid, scavenging activity of the DPPH radical with 41,36 % of scavenging, activity of reducing power with the maximum of 0,290 nm (50 % of vitamin C activity) and scavenging activity superoxide radical (O2-) with a maximum of 32,23 %. Chelating activity of metal less than 4% and scavenging activity of the radical hydroxyl (OH-) less than 2%. Time of activated partial tromboplastin (aPTT) doubling the time of coagulation from 20μg of and protrombin time (PT) was not present. The data indicate that PS from Halodule wrightii could be considered for future applications in medicine, food production or cosmetic industry

Caracterização parcial e atividades farmacológicas do extrato rico em polissacarídeos sulfatados da angiosperma marinha Halodule wrightii

Sulfated polysaccharides (PS) are biomolecules with a great biotechnological potential. There are few data about PS from high plants. In addition, pharmacological activities of PS from plants have not been carrying out. The aim of this work was extract PS from the angiosperm Halodule wrightii and study their anticoagulant and antioxidant activities. Histological analysis showed the presence of the PS manly in the roots. A polysaccharide-rich extract was obtained from H. wrightii by proteolysis followed by methanol and TCA precipitation. Chemical, infra-red analysis and agarose gel electrophoresis in 1.3 diaminopropane acetate buffer confirmed the presence of sulfated polysaccharides made by glucose, galactose, xylose and sulfate residues in the proportion 1: 0,9: 1: 1. In addition polyacrilamide electrophoresis have shown that extract is mainly compose by 11kDa sulfated polysaccharides. Pharmacological analysis have shown total antioxidant capacity (CAT) that resulted in 15,21 μg for equivalent of ascorbic acid, scavenging activity of the DPPH radical with 41,36 % of scavenging, activity of reducing power with the maximum of 0,290 nm (50 % of vitamin C activity) and scavenging activity superoxide radical (O2-) with a maximum of 32,23 %. Chelating activity of metal less than 4% and scavenging activity of the radical hydroxyl (OH-) less than 2%. Time of activated partial tromboplastin (aPTT) doubling the time of coagulation from 20μg of and protrombin time (PT) was not present. The data indicate that PS from Halodule wrightii could be considered for future applications in medicine, food production or cosmetic industry

Nova técnica para obtenção de fraturas com altíssima condutividade em poços de petróleo

Increase hydrocarbons production is the main goal of the oilwell industry worldwide. Hydraulic fracturing is often applied to achieve this goal due to a combination of attractive aspects including easiness and low operational costs associated with fast and highly economical response. Conventional fracturing usually involves high-flowing high-pressure pumping of a viscous fluid responsible for opening the fracture in the hydrocarbon producing rock. The thickness of the fracture should be enough to assure the penetration of the particles of a solid proppant into the rock. The proppant is driven into the target formation by a carrier fluid. After pumping, all fluids are filtered through the faces of the fracture and penetrate the rock. The proppant remains in the fracture holding it open and assuring high hydraulic conductivity. The present study proposes a different approach for hydraulic fracturing. Fractures with infinity conductivity are formed and used to further improve the production of highly permeable formations as well as to produce long fractures in naturally fractured formations. Naturally open fractures with infinite conductivity are usually encountered. They can be observed in rock outcrops and core plugs, or noticed by the total loss of circulation during drilling (even with low density fluids), image profiles, pumping tests (Mini-Frac and Mini Fall Off), and injection tests below fracturing pressure, whose flow is higher than expected for radial Darcian ones. Naturally occurring fractures are kept open by randomly shaped and placed supporting points, able to hold the faces of the fracture separate even under typical closing pressures. The approach presented herein generates infinite conductivity canal held open by artificially created parallel supporting areas positioned both horizontally and vertically. The size of these areas is designed to hold the permeable zones open supported by the impermeable areas. The England & Green equation was used to theoretically prove that the fracture can be held open by such artificially created set of horizontal parallel supporting areas. To assess the benefits of fractures characterized by infinite conductivity, an overall comparison with finite conductivity fractures was carried out using a series of parameters including fracture pressure loss and dimensionless conductivity as a function of flow production, FOI folds of increase, flow production and cumulative production as a function of time, and finally plots of net present value and productivity index

Flebotomíneos (Diptera: Psychodidae) em um sistema agroflorestal da Região Metropolitana de Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil

Sandflies stand out as important vectors of leishmaniasis. The females need to ingest blood meals, enabling them to transmit protozoa of the genus Leishmania, which may give rise to visceral leishmaniasis (VL) or American tegumentary leishmaniasis (ATL), in addition to transmitting other parasites. Leishmaniasis are important infirmities, distributed worldwide, whose infection results from the interaction of reservoir animals, the vector insect, parasitic protozoa and the healthy host. In the state of Rio Grande do Norte (RN), Brazil, these insects are important transmitters of VL, which usually presents in the most serious form. It occurs mainly in metropolitan areas, with the dog as its main reservoir and Lutzomyia longipalpis as the vector. ATL is most present in the highland areas of the state. In addition to hematophagia, engaged in by the females, both sexes need to ingest carbohydrates, which are essential to the sand flies energy requirements and may interfere in the development of Leishmania. The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence and abundance of sand flies in different environments on the farm belonging to the Empresa de Pesquisas Agropecuárias do RN (Institute of Agricultural Research of RN), in the municipality of Parnamirim, in order to relate this occurrence with climatological and biological references and eating habits. Three consecutive monthly collections were carried out with CDC traps in a fragment of the Atlantic Forest, in a residence, on a goat breeding farm and on cashew, dwarf and giant coconut, mango, banana, eucalyptus, acacia and bean plantations. A total of 1241 sandflies from eight species (Lutzomyia evandroi, Lutzomyia longipalpis, Lutzomyia shannoni, Lutzomyia sordellii Lutzomyia walkeri, Lutzomyia wellcomei, Lutzomyia whitmani, and Lutzomyia intermedia) were collected, most in the forest environment. L. longipalpis, the main VL transmitter, was confirmed as a species adapted to anthropic environments, whereas others such as L. wellcomei, the vector of ATL, occurred predominantly in forests. Carbohydrate characterization of the sand flies and plants of the region demonstrated that a number of exotic plants such as hay and eucalyptus may play some role in the adaptation of these species to modified environments. Breeding in laboratory showed a mean biological cycle of 53.5 days from egg to adulthood for L. shannoni and the possibility of diapause behavior in L. wellcomei. This study serves as a source of information that may contribute to the epidemiological vigilance of tegumentary and visceral leishmaniasis in the state, given that it analyzes the bioecology of transmitting species, as well as their potential to adapt to new environments

Identificação e avaliação de propriedades de polissacarídeos sulfatados de diferentes fontes naturais que possibilitem sua aplicabilidade biotecnológica

Sulfated polysaccharides (SP) are widely distributed in animals and seaweeds tissues. These polymers have been studied in light of their important pharmacological activities, such as anticoagulant, antioxidant, antitumoral, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties. On other hand, SP potential to synthesize biomaterials like as nanoparticules has not yet been explored. In addition, to date, SP have only been found in six plants and all inhabit saline environments. However, the SP pharmacological plant activities have not been carrying out. Furthermore, there are no reports of SP in freshwater plants. Thus, do SP from marine plants show pharmacological activity? Do freshwater plants actually synthesize SP? Is it possible to synthesize nanoparticles using SP from seaweed? In order to understand this question, this Thesis was divided into tree chapters. In the first chapter a sulfated polysaccharide (SPSG) was successfully isolated from marine plant Halodule wrightii. The data presented here showed that the SPSG is a 11 kDa sulfated heterogalactan contains glucose and xylose. Several assays suggested that the SPSG possessed remarkable antioxidant properties in different in vitro assays and an outstanding anticoagulant activity 2.5-fold higher than that of heparin Clexane® in the aPTT test; in the next chapter using different tools such as chemical and histological analyses, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXA), gel electrophoresis and infra-red spectroscopy we confirm the presence of sulfated polysaccharides in freshwater plants for the first time. Moreover, we also demonstrate that SP extracted from E. crassipes root has potential as an anticoagulant compound; and in last chapter a fucan, a sulfated polysaccharide, extracted from the brown seaweed was chemically modified by grafting hexadecylamine to the polymer hydrophilic backbone. The resulting modified material (SNFuc) formed nanosized particles. The degree of substitution for hydrophobic chains of 1H NMR was approximately 93%. SNFfuc-TBa125 in aqueous media had a mean diameter of 123 nm and zeta potential of -38.3 ± 0.74 mV, measured bydynamic light scattering. Tumor-cell (HepG2, 786, H-S5) proliferation was inhibited by 2.0 43.7% at SNFuc concentrations of 0.05 0.5 mg/ mL and RAEC non-tumor cell line proliferation displayed inhibition of 8.0 22.0%. On the other hand, nanogel improved CHO and RAW non-tumor cell line proliferation in the same concentration range. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that this fucan nanogel inhibited 786 cell proliferation through caspase and caspaseindependent mechanisms. In addition, SNFuc blocks 786 cell passages in the S and G2-M phases of the cell cycle

Úlcera de pressão em pacientes internados em um hospital universitário em Natal/RN: condições predisponentes e fatores de risco

The pressure ulcers (PU), also known as decubitus ulcers, are defined as injuries caused by the constant pressure exerted on a particular point of the body, causing impairment of blood supply with a decrease or interruption of tissue irrigation, causing occlusion of blood vessels and capillaries, ischemia and cell death. This is a descriptive study with longitudinal design, and panel type, with quantitative approach that aimed to examine the association between predisposing conditions (PC), intrinsic factors (IF) and extrinsic factors (EF) with the occurrence of PU, in hospitalized patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), pain clinical, surgical clinical and neurology wards of a university hospital. The study population was composed of all patients who were restricted to bed during the period from December 2007 to February 2008. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of HUOL / UFRN (No 135/07). The data-collection took place through a structured formulary of observation, data from medical records and physical examination of patients skins. The results were organized in SPSS 15.0 software, tabulated, categorized and analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics. Of the 30 patients studied, 43.3% had been hospitalized in the pain clinical and surgical clinic wards, 20.0% in the ICU, 20.0% in the ICU / ward and 16.7% in neurology, being the length of hospitalization in those units of 7 to 18 days (63.3%) and from 19 to 30 days (36.7%), predominantly female and aged ≥ 60 years (60.0%). 19 PU were diagnosed in 43.3% of patients monitored, being 38.5% with one PU between 7 to 18 days and 46.2% with two or more between 19 to 30 days of hospitalization, showing significant relationship (ρ-value = 0029) between length of hospital stay and the number of PU. Was found an association of 35.7% of the PC (cardio-respiratory, hematological, metabolic and psychogenic), IF (age group, oedema, skin changes in humidity and change of body temperature) and EF (type of mattress and strength of body pressure) for all patients studied, statistically significant (ρ-value = 0001), between the average scores in patients with and without PU, with reason chance to 12.0 for the development of PU and there was moderate correlation ( r = 0618) in the presence of this association. Results show the influence of the multiplicity of factors and conditions on the occurrence of PU, which brings us to reflect on the assistance focused on prevention and reduction of these injuries which will encourage the reduction of hospitalization length, physical and psychological suffering, and the possibility of improving the clinical condition of the patient.

Úlceras de pressão: um estudo com pacientes de unidade de terapia intensiva

To characterize patients according to gender, age category, internment time, diagnostical hypothesis and location of the pressure ulcer; to identify the susceptibility conditions, intrinsical and extrinsical factors present on ICU patients and to verify on the existence of association between the susceptibility conditions and the intrinsecal and extrinsecal factors on the occurrence of PU. Methods: It is a descriptive study, of longitudinal design of the panel type, with quantitative approach, performed on two ICU s of a private hospital located in Natal/RN, with 40 patients interned at these units. The data collection was performed on all three shifts through a structured observation and physical exam of the patients' skin form seeking to identify the presence of PU. Results: The greatest occurence of PU was on individuals of the male gender (70%) when compared to the female gender (30%), that difference being statistically significant (p=0,0267), with the male gender presenting 4,3 times greater chance of developing PU than the female; the predominant age category was from 60 years of age on (85%), 60,0% presented 1 to 2 PU s after 7 (seven) days of permanence in the ICU s, the predominant diagnostical hypothesis on the patients with PU were the respiratory diseases (42,3%) and the most frequent locations of PU were the sacral region (40,0%) and heels (36,0%). 25 PU s of stage I were diagnosed on 50,0% of the followed patients, with general incidence of 50,0% on both ICUs. from the 88 variables researched, 75 were identified on the patients from the study, being the predominant conditions (anemia, hypotension, leukocytosis, other diseases hypertension blood pressure, cardiac insuffience, pneumonia - and ansiolythic), the intrinsecal factors (diminished muscular strenght and/or mass, discrete edema, totally compromised mobile coordination and total inability for movement on the bed) and the extrinsecal factors (inadequate mattress type, permanence on a single position for >2 hours, shearing/friction force, bed clothes with folds that leave marks on the body, pressure force) predominated on patients with PU. The male gender variables (p=0,0267,OR=4,3), sedation (p=0,0006,OR=4,1), psychomotive agitation (p=0,0375,OR=5,8) and leukocytosis (p=0,0285,OR=5,0) presented a significant statistical diference when analyzed independently. We verified an association of 17,3%, statistically significant (p=0,0384), between the susceptibility conditions (anemia, leukocytosis and hypotension), the intrinsecal factors (age equal or above 60 years, diminished/absent pain sensibility and smooth, fine or delicate skin) and the extrinsecal factors (inadequate mattress, pressure forces, shearing/friction force, permanence on a single position for more than 2 hours, elevation between 30 to 45 degrees and inadequate bed clothes' conditions), with a chance ratio of 4,6 times the risk of occurrence of PU on the patients that presented the referred association. Conclusion: The incidence of PU detected on the ICU-interned patients was high and we made evident the existence of association between the susceptibility conditions, the intrinsecal and extrinsecal factors on the occurrence of PU s on the ICUinterned patients, and thus we accept the alternative hypothesis proposed on the study