How Are Pressure Ulcers (Bedsores) Addressed?
Pressure ulcers or bedsores are areas of damage to your skin and the tissue underneath. This happens when an area of your skin is put under prolonged pressure. You are more likely to get a pressure ulcer if you have difficulty moving. As an example, if you are confined to lying in a bed or sitting for extended periods of time.
Symptoms of Pressure Ulcers
Pressure ulcers most often form on bony parts of your body that are not covered with much body fat. Areas like your heels, elbows, hips, and tailbone.
Symptoms include patches of skin that:
- Have become discolored and will not change color when pressed. These patches are usually red on white skin pigment, or purple or blue on black or brown skin.
- Feel spongy, hard, or warm.
- Become painful.
Pressure ulcers usually develop gradually, yet can sometimes still appear quickly. Sometimes pressure ulcers will blister and become an open wound. If they are not treated, they will progressively get worse and deepen to reach a muscle or bone.
Are You at Risk of Pressure Ulcers?
Anyone can get pressure ulcers, but they happen more frequently if you have problems moving. The extended pressure of your body weight on the same areas of skin will damage it. Your chances of getting a pressure ulcer increase if you have:
- Recently had surgery.
- Poor circulation.
- Had a pressure ulcer before.
- Difficulty moving.
- Been seriously ill in intensive care.
- Swollen, sweaty, or broken skin.
- Fragile skin.
- Problems feeling sensation or pain.
- Are underweight.
Severity of Pressure Ulcers
Pressure ulcers will vary in severity.
Healthcare professionals use a grading system to describe pressure ulcers. The higher the grade or category, the more severe the pressure ulcer is.
- Grade 1- A grade 1 pressure ulcer is the least severe. A grade 1 pressure ulcer might be painful, feel warm or cool, feel spongy or hard, and cause the affected area to become discolored. It will not turn white when pressed or have an open wound. This stage can be difficult to detect in darker skin tones.
- Grade 2- In grade 2, some of the outer surface of the skin, or epidermis, or the deeper layer of skin, the dermis, is damaged. This can lead to skin loss. The ulcer now looks like an open blister, which can be red or pink. It will not have any yellow or white in the wound.
- Grade 3- In grade 3, skin loss will affect the thickness of the skin. The tissue underneath is now damaged, but the bone, muscle, or tendon is not. The ulcer looks like a deep wound, and there can be dead tissue. There might be white, yellow, or green discharge coming from the wound.
- Grade 4- This is the most severe type of pressure ulcer. The skin is now severely damaged, and the tissue around it dies. This is called tissue necrosis. The muscles, tendons, or bones underneath can be damaged. If you have a grade 4 pressure ulcer, you have an elevated risk of developing an infection.
Treatment for Pressure Ulcers
The type of treatment depends on the severity of the pressure ulcer. Changing your position and moving frequently is important to help relieve pressure on the ulcer. It will also help with new ones forming.
Other treatments include:
- Dressings to protect the ulcer and help it heal.
- Specially designed mattresses and cushions.
- Creams and ointments.
- Cleaning the ulcer.
- Antibiotics for infection.
If treatment has not worked, you might need surgery to clean and close the ulcer.