Pressure Area Care
Unit HSC 2024 –Undertake agreed pressure area care
1.1
Pressure sores or decubitus ulcers are the result of a constant deficiency of blood to the tissues over a bony area such as a heel which may have been in contact with a bed or a splint over an extended period of time. The surface of the skin can ulcerate which may become infected. Eventually deeper tissues are damaged. Besides the heel, other areas commonly involved are the skin over the buttocks, sacrum, ankles hips and other bony sites of the body.
1.2
Common pressure points on the body include the tail bone (sacrum), hip bone areas, and the ankle and heel. Less common sites include the elbows, spine, ribs, and back of the head.
Pressure sores may also result from friction caused by your skin rubbing against another surface, or when two layers of skin slide on each other, moving in opposite directions and causing damage to the underlying tissue. This may happen if you are transferred from a bed to a stretcher, or if you slide down in a chair.
1.3
Pressure sores are more likely to develop persons who are at higher risk due to one or more risk factors.. Once a person is identified as being at increased risk for pressure sores, measures should be undertaken to reduce or eliminate those risks.
Confinement to bed, chair, or wheelchair. Persons confined to beds, chairs, or wheelchairs who are unable to move themselves, can develop pressure-induced injuries in as little as 1-2 hours if the pressure is not relieved;
Inability to change positions without help. (Eg, an individual in a coma, who is paralyzed, or recovering from a hip fracture or other mobility limitation.)
Loss of bowel or bladder control. Sources of moisture on the skin from urine, stool, or perspiration can irritate the skin.
Poor hygiene , not washing regularly or drying properly
Poor nutrition and/or dehydration. Bed sores are more likely to form when the skin is not properly nourished.
Decreased mental awareness. An individual
1.1
Pressure sores or decubitus ulcers are the result of a constant deficiency of blood to the tissues over a bony area such as a heel which may have been in contact with a bed or a splint over an extended period of time. The surface of the skin can ulcerate which may become infected. Eventually deeper tissues are damaged. Besides the heel, other areas commonly involved are the skin over the buttocks, sacrum, ankles hips and other bony sites of the body.
1.2
Common pressure points on the body include the tail bone (sacrum), hip bone areas, and the ankle and heel. Less common sites include the elbows, spine, ribs, and back of the head.
Pressure sores may also result from friction caused by your skin rubbing against another surface, or when two layers of skin slide on each other, moving in opposite directions and causing damage to the underlying tissue. This may happen if you are transferred from a bed to a stretcher, or if you slide down in a chair.
1.3
Pressure sores are more likely to develop persons who are at higher risk due to one or more risk factors.. Once a person is identified as being at increased risk for pressure sores, measures should be undertaken to reduce or eliminate those risks.
Confinement to bed, chair, or wheelchair. Persons confined to beds, chairs, or wheelchairs who are unable to move themselves, can develop pressure-induced injuries in as little as 1-2 hours if the pressure is not relieved;
Inability to change positions without help. (Eg, an individual in a coma, who is paralyzed, or recovering from a hip fracture or other mobility limitation.)
Loss of bowel or bladder control. Sources of moisture on the skin from urine, stool, or perspiration can irritate the skin.
Poor hygiene , not washing regularly or drying properly
Poor nutrition and/or dehydration. Bed sores are more likely to form when the skin is not properly nourished.
Decreased mental awareness. An individual