Definition

It often takes a long time for a pressure injuries to develop and it takes place when someone’s skin or hypodermis is oppressed. Clinical symptoms include ruddy skin, erosion, ulcer, serious necrosis state, suppuration, and fever.

Positions that cause pressure injury

As shown in the figures, when there is protruding bones, patients are more likely to have pressure injuries.

1. Lie supine : sacral bone and coccyx, shoulder blade, back heel, back occipital bone, and elbow.
2. Lie on the side: femur head, ankle outside, shoulder, rib, and pelvis.
3. Prostrate: sternum, knee-cap, inboard ankle, and ears.

Causes of the disease

1. Physical factors

• When patients are unable to move about and change postures for a long time, they suffer from oppressed hypodermis leading to pressure injuries.
• Malnutrition like anaemia and edema weakens skin and hypodermis resistance which leads to difficulty in changing posture and pressure injuries.
• The elderly prone to have pressure injuries easily because their skin tissue is inflexible and irresistible to pressure injuries caused by long term bed-ridden and oppression.

2. Physics factors

• Patients often suffer from oppressions like patients’ weight, bed clothes, gypsum, bandage, and drainage tube.
• Pressure injuries could be incurred by frictions between skin and clothes suture line or fold of bed sheets.
• When patients sweat, urinate or defecate incontinently, and when they suffer from drainage tube secretion, they are more likely to have pressure injuries.

Prevention ways

1. Help patients to change position at least every two hours turning positions include lying flat, lying on one’s left or right side.
2. Help patients to move limbs and work on joint activity to promote skin circulation.
3. Utilize special beds, mattresses, or protecting devices like cushion bed to lighten the pressure.
4. Use of air cushion could ease patients’ oppression and give them a sound sleep.
5. Avoid wrinkle, suture, and tubercle of clothes and sheet because they could incur friction with patients’ skin. Do not pull patients’ limbs directly instead help them stand up with clothes or bed sheets.
6. Keep patients’ skin clean and moisten: maintain dryness of wrinkled skin and perineum. To prevent dry skin and increase skin elasticity, apply lotions.
7. Once there is ruddy skin, do not massage patients for it could generate more wounds.
8. Once there are wounds, change dressings constantly to diminish infections and maintain the dryness of the skin around the wound.
9. Increases nutritional ingestion like taking high calorie, protein, and Vitamin food.
10. Consult our medical staff at any time if you have doubt regarding pressure injuries and they will be more than happy to be at your service.

Treatment

1. Surgical: sterilize pressure injuries wound and change dressing; and if patients’ condition gets worse, surgeons might proceed to debridement and suppuration.
2. Medicine: antibiotic and albumen resolve ferments.
3. Diet: Supplement of high calorie, high protein, and vitamin.
4. Physics: Infrared ray treatment, ultraviolet treatment, and water treatment.