Pressure Ulcers are lesions caused by many factors such as unrelieved pressure; friction; humidity; shearing forces; temperature; age; continence and medication; to any part of the body, especially portions over bony or cartilaginous areas such as sacrum, elbows, knees, and ankles. Although often prevented and treatable if found early, they can be very difficult to…
Patients with COVID-19 may be especially susceptible to unavoidable pressure injuries because of the way the COVID-19 virus interferes with the human body’s normal processes. Background: What is Considered an Unavoidable Pressure Injury? The National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP) has defined an unavoidable pressure injury as one where the proper evaluation was completed and…
Can regenerative medicine fully heal wounds that are currently beyond repair? Regenerative medicine uses three methods to work with the body’s natural processes of wound healing – regeneration, replacement, and rejuvenation. Unfortunately, as many as one-third of chronic wounds do not respond to traditional treatment. When these methods do not work for non-healing or chronic wounds,…
The National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel redefined the definition of pressure injuries during the NPUAP 2016 Staging Consensus Conference. The updated staging definitions were presented at a meeting of over 400 professionals. Dr. Mikel Gray from the University of Virginia guided the Staging Task Force and conference participants to an agreement on the updated definitions…
You may have heard the term ‘suspected deep tissue injury’ before without understanding what a deep tissue injury is and its implications in terms of wound management. If you have never heard the term before, or just need a quick review to refresh your memory, here is a brief description of deep tissue injury. What…
Full-thickness skin and tissue loss with exposed or directly palpable fascia, muscle, tendon, ligament, cartilage or bone in the ulcer. Slough and/or eschar may be visible. Epibole (rolled edges), undermining and/or tunneling often occur. Depth varies by anatomical location. If slough or eschar obscures the extent of tissue loss this is an Unstageable Pressure Injury….
Category/Stage I: Non-blanchable erythema Intact skin with non-blanchable redness of a localized area usually over a bony prominence. Darkly pigmented skin may not have visible blanching; its color may differ from the surrounding area. The area may be painful, firm, soft, warmer or cooler as compared to adjacent tissue. Category I may be difficult to detect in individuals with…
Prevention of Pressure Ulcers due to Incontinence Must Be a Priority Incontinence is a common risk factor for pressure ulcers. If you have worked in aged care or with elderly patients, you will know this to be true. Wet, moist skin can lead to rapid skin breakdown and the development of a pressure ulcer. There…
A deep tissue injury is a unique form of pressure ulcer. The National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel defines a deep tissue injury as “A pressure-related injury to subcutaneous tissues under intact skin. Initially, these lesions have the appearance of a deep bruise. These lesions may herald the subsequent development of a Stage III-IV pressure ulcer…
Over the past few weeks, we have considered the use of support surfaces in redistributing pressure and preventing the build-up of excessive pressure in vulnerable areas. We have looked at the different methods used for this purpose, and at the effectiveness of different support surface systems. However, we have not considered until now the safety…
