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The Truth about Decubitus Ulcers

The Truth about Decubitus Ulcers. Created By: Kelsey Peck. What is a decubitus ulcer?. A decubitus ulcer, also commonly known as a bedsore comes about from lying in one position for too long. This prevents circulation from getting to your skin, causing pressure.

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The Truth about Decubitus Ulcers

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  1. The Truth about Decubitus Ulcers Created By: Kelsey Peck

  2. What is a decubitus ulcer? • A decubitus ulcer, also commonly known as a bedsore comes about from lying in one position for too long. • This prevents circulation from getting to your skin, causing pressure. • This in turn, causes a decubitus ulcer. http://trialx.com/curetalk/wp-content/blogs.dir/7/files/2011/05/ diseases/Pressure_Ulcer-2.gif

  3. Who is at risk for Decubitus Ulcers? • It is most common to see elderly people in nursing homes get decubitus ulcers, due to the fact that they lay in a bed practically all day or sit in the same position daily. • Smokers (dries out skin and reduces the blood flow to skin) • Anorexic people (less padding on their bones and it can injure more easily and take longer to heal) http://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/files/2010/04/elderly-940x626.jpg http://patreiz.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/child-malnutrition.jpg

  4. Malnutrition • Improper skin care • Being Incontinent • Friction • Failure to move a patient frequently (in a nursing home) • Failure to exercise What causes Decubitus Ulcers? http://madhusameer.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/anorexia-3.jpg

  5. Common Homes for Decubitus Ulcers • Hips (laying on your side) • Tailbones (laying on your back) • Shoulders (laying on your side or resting your shoulders on the back of a wheelchair) • Backs of arms or legs (Leaning on the wheelchair) • Back or side of head(Laying on your back or laying on your side)

  6. Stage 1 Symptoms Stage 1 • Skin is intact. • Skin may be red on a paler person. • Skin may appear bluish on darker skinned people. • The skin that is affected may be more painful, warmer, softer, or cooler than the surrounding skin. http://img.thebody.com/legacyAssets/40/74/P25-1.gif

  7. Stage 2 Symptoms Stage 2-Open wound • The epidermis (outer layer of skin) and the dermis (underlying layer of skin) are both damaged or lost. • May appear as a shallow, pinkish-red, basin-like wound • May appear as a ruptured fluid-filled blister http://img.thebody.com/legacyAssets/40/74/P25-2.gif

  8. Stage 3 Symptoms Stage 3-Deep wound • Fat is exposed due to the loss of skin • Crater-like in appearance • Bottom of ulcer has some yellowish colored dead tissue http://img.thebody.com/legacyAssets/40/74/P25-3.gif

  9. Stage 4 Symptoms Stage 4-Large Scale loss of tissue • May expose bone, muscle, or tendons • The bottom of the ulcer contains yellowish or dark colored dead tissue that is crusty http://www.eczema-answers.com/images/bed_sores2.jpg

  10. Treating Decubitus ulcers • Relieve the pressure that caused the sore to start with • Reposition the person • Use support surfaces such as pillows and mattresses to help the person lie in an appropriate position • Remove the damaged tissue • Surgical Debridement: removing dead tissue surgically • Mechanical Debridement: removing dead tissue using things such as a whirlpool • Autolytic Debridement- the body’s natural way of removing dead tissue • Enzymatic Debridement-removing dead tissue using chemical enzymes • Clean and dress the wound regularly • The way you dress and clean the wound depends on what stage is it in.

  11. Other ways to treat decubitus ulcers • Antibiotics • Healthy diet • Muscle relaxants • If your decubitus ulcers do not heal after taking the treatment measures just mentioned, your doctor may give you muscle relaxants, antibiotics, or tell you to go on a healthy diet to help treat your ulcers.

  12. How to prevent Decubitus Ulcers from forming again? • Keeping skin clean and dry • Changing position every two hours • Using pillows and products that relieve pressure • Keeping your skin clean and dry prevents moisture. • Changing position every two hours prevents you from putting pressure on one spot for too long. • Using pillows and other products can help prevent sores by being a cushion for your body.

  13. Facts/Statistics • In 2010, pressure ulcers were the primary diagnosis in approximately 45,000 hospital admissions. • Pressure ulcers were a secondary diagnosis in about 457,800 hospital admissions last year. • The primary diagnoses left 1 dead in every 25 patients. • The secondary diagnoses left 1 dead in every 8 patients.

  14. Works Cited • http://www.nursing-home-abuse-resource.com/care_center/decubitus-causes.html • http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/190115-overview • http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bedsores/DS00570/DSECTION=symptoms • http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bedsores/DS00570/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs • http://www.drugs.com/cg/how-to-prevent-pressure-sores.html • http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6366/is_3_21/ai_n31950894/

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