Review: Pathogenesis and Management of Pressure Ulcers

Management of pressure ulcers.

Pressure ulcers are a common problem, with about 1.5 to 3 million individuals in the United Stated affected. Treatment may be costly, requiring lengthy periods of hospitalization. Central to the development of pressure ulcers is the loss of the ability of bedridden patients to move spontaneously. When this ability is impaired by neurologic injury or debility, damage caused by unrelieved pressur...

Management of Pressure Ulcers

Cancer can be a devastating illness causing severe debilitation and prolonged confinement to bed. It is, therefore, not unexpected that oncologists would be required to manage pressure ulcers as part of the comprehensive care of their cancer patients. The consequences of these lesions can be devastating, even fatal. Thus, the common bedsore should not be overlooked as an important clinical prob...

Prevention and management of pressure ulcers.

Pressure ulcers represent complex wounds that are difficult to prevent or manage. Guidelines for prevention include identifying patients at risk, reducing the effect of pressure, friction, shear forces, and assessing co-morbidities such as nutritional status. Management should follow eight treatment strategies including accurately assessing the ulcer, relieving pressure, assessing pain and nutr...

Pressure ulcers: prevention, evaluation, and management.

A pressure ulcer is a localized injury to the skin or underlying tissue, usually over a bony prominence, as a result of unrelieved pressure. Predisposing factors are classified as intrinsic (e.g., limited mobility, poor nutrition, comorbidities, aging skin) or extrinsic (e.g., pressure, friction, shear, moisture). Prevention includes identifying at-risk persons and implementing specific prevent...

Aetiology of pressure ulcers A literature review