CHRONIC WOUNDS, DECUBITIS, PRESSURE SORES: THEY PLAGUE MILLIONS OF HELPLESS, BED-RIDDEN PEOPLE. SOMEDAY, IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU! BUT A NEW INVENTION CAN STOP THIS PLAGUE!
Nursing home abuse and neglect are often the cause of decubitis ulcers. When a nursing home facility provides a sub-standard level of care by failing to prevent decubitis ulcers, or neglecting to avoid the causes, patients can suffer serious and life threatening injuries. At least 60,000 people die from the complications and causes of decubitis ulcers each year in the United States. People who are vulnerable to developing decubitis ulcers must be frequently moved to avoid development of these sores, and adequately cared for in order to avoid serious injury. That means keeping the areas where pressure occurs (wherever the body rests with the most pressure in a bed – anything from heels and elbows to buttocks, shoulders, the back of the neck, the hips, even the side of the foot or leg. If a person can’t move, they need a way to BE moved.
(Photos in this article are graphic and are accessible to all on the internet)
Prevention
If bedridden or immobile with diabetes, circulation problems, incontinence, spinal problems, bone fractures, or mental disabilities, in addition to intensive care of the skin and keeping areas free from pressure – less than two hours in any given position for any part of the body--the patient should also be checked for pressure sores daily, especially every morning. Look for reddened areas that, when pressed, do not turn white. Also look for blisters, sores, or craters. In addition, take the following steps:
Change position at least every two hours to relieve pressure.
Use items that can help reduce pressure -- pillows, sheepskin, foam padding, and powders from medical supply stores.
Eat healthy, well-balanced meals with extra vitamin C, if possible. Vitamin C helps build tissues..
Exercise daily, including range-of-motion exercises for immobile patients.
Keep skin clean and dry. Persons with incontinence need to take extra steps to limit moisture
THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF THE 100,000 LIMB AMPUTATIONS THAT OCCUR JUST IN THE US IS DECUBITIS – the bedsore!
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Chronic wounds remain inflamed and may take an inordinate amunt of time to heal – if at all.. These wounds are a major health problem in the United States and throughout the world.
The most common chronic wounds are diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers, and pressure ulcers, although other wounds, such as surgical wounds, can also become a source of chronic non-healing.
Diabetic foot ulcers
Diabetics are prone to foot ulcers due to peripheral neuropathy: decreased sensation caused by this condition can result in a cut and trauma to the foot going unnoticed or can result in unusual pressures placed on the foot that are ignored. Diabetic foot ulcers are the most common chronic wound problem in the United States and the world. Some 25% of the60 milliondiabetic patients in the United States develop foot ulcers – that’s 15 million people—and approximately100,000 limb amputationsare performed in diabetic patients each year in the United States alone. It’s an epidemic that has gone virtually unnoticed. It can happen to you.!
Venous leg ulcers
Venous leg ulcers are caused by a failure of valves in the veins of the legs, resulting in congestion and slowing of blood flow. Rubbing the legs downward increases the risk of vein failure in diabetics. Such ulcers occur spontaneously or in association with minor trauma to the leg. Venous leg ulcers can be very painful and can persist for more than a year. The older the patient, the more likely that venous leg ulcers will develop.
Pressure Ulcers (shown in the first photo)
Pressure ulcers (decubitis ulcers or bed sores) result from pressure on skin, soft tissue, muscle, and bone that cuts off the ability of the capillaries to circulate blood for an extended period of time. The wounds that then develop occur in individuals unable to sense the pressure or who cannot change their body position to relieve the pressure. Pressure ulcers are a common and expensive problem in acute care, nursing home, and home care populations. In hospital settings the incidence of pressure ulcers has reached as high as 30% among those at risk.
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN AN INVENTION TO PREVENT THE DEVELOPMENT OF
PRESSURE SORES AND TOP PROMOTE THE HEALING OF CHRONIC WOUNDS?
Contact Judyth Vary Baker (former cancer researcher)
at mailto:judythvarybaler@gmail.com" judythvarybaler@gmail.com .The material in this article has been adapted from current online Internet sources.
