Pressure Ulcers

Pressure ulcers occur when one point of skin is constantly under pressure and is most commonly seen in persons who have been bedridden. Bedsores can quickly develop to pressure ulcer unless treated quickly. Pressure ulcers can heal with proper treatment, but leave an unstable scar. More serious pressure ulcers can affect the underlying muscles or cause damage that reaches the bone and require subsequent reconstructive surgery.

As a pressure ulcer is really a wound, all the usual medical treatment for a wound must take place first, including cleaning, removing damaged tissue, and eliminating any infections or other complications. Surgical treatment usually involves flap surgery, which involves relocating tissue, muscles and blood vessels from one location on the body either by tunneling under the skin from a nearby site or transplanting from the other location. Depending on the extent of the damage, a skin graft may also be made. These procedures are done under general anesthesia in a hospital.

Recovery takes several weeks, as the patient is often positioned on a special air-fluid bed to relieve any pressure on the site. Special attention is given to pain and discomfort and healing at the surgical site. Only after about four weeks is the patient allow to sit up and then only for ten minutes at a time. The attention and caution is warranted as it is very easy for pressure sores to return and for poor post-operative care to prevent a healthy recovery from reconstructive surgery.