Pressure Ulcer Research Paper

Pressure ulcers have become more prevalent among patients in any health care setting. The development of pressure ulcers have many factors that contribute to the development which makes it difficult to know what exactly caused the pressure ulcer to occur. With many factors that can be involved the treatment process can take some time to see what will work for each patient as well as the stage the pressure ulcer is in. The further developed a pressure ulcer the longer it takes to heal, the earlier identification the better the prognosis. This paper is going to identify the etiology/pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, and treatment of pressure ulcers.
Etiology and Pathogenesis Pressure ulcers also known as bed sores, decubitus ulcers, and …show more content…
A risk assessment is where the patient is asked about previous ulcers, an examination of the skin, and assessment of the patient’s mobility is examined. (Anders et.al, 2010, p 8) Many different risk assessments are available to use, The Braden scale is the most common risk assessment that is used in the United States. The Braden Scale assesses; sensation, activity, mobility, skin condition, continence, friction/shear and nutritional status. A risk assessment should be completed once per day by nurse. Any patient that is at risk for pressure ulcer can develop a pressure ulcer at any time and can occur within a matter of a day. After a risk assessment is completed implantation of treatment is needed to prevent and …show more content…
Creams that have been used are skin protectants that help to wick moisture away and keep heat more generalized throughout the body rather than heat being localized. Creams are normally applied once in the morning and once at night; if the patient is constantly wet then the cream may need to be applied more often. Many dressings have been used to help heal a pressure ulcer, one of the most common is hydrocolloid dressings. Hydrocolloid dressings help to reduce the wound size and protect the surrounding skin. The dressings are normally changed once a day at time can be more or less depending on the ulcer. When a pressure ulcer has progressed into a Stage 3 or 4 there may need be a debridement which is where a doctor will go in and remove the excess slough, eschar and tissue that can be causing the wound from drying out. (Qaseem, Humphrey, Forciea, Starkey &Denberg, 2015,p.371) After a debridement a wound vac may be applied or a traditional wound or dressing care may be implemented. Wound vac are continually on except when a change is needed. The wound vac keeps a continual pressure to the wound that removes excess fluid and allows the wound to dry out to help