Common Causes of Bedsores

Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers New Jersey

Common Causes of Bedsores

Common Causes of BedsoresA bedsore is a wound which erupts from a localized breakdown of the skin and subcutaneous tissues, usually over a boney prominence.  The primary cause of bedsores is the application of sustained pressure over time. For this reason, they are more properly called “pressure injuries” or “pressure ulcers.”  The sustained application of pressure interrupts the flow of blood to the skin and surrounding tissues. If this pressure remains in place long enough, the affected tissues die and a wound forms.

Bedsores can strike anyone, regardless of age, although a person’s overall state of health can increase the risk of formation. Persons at risk include anyone who is unable to re-position themselves, including folks who are bedridden or wheelchair bound, restrained, sedated, comatose or paralyzed.

It’s not the amount of pressure applied but rather the time the pressure goes unrelieved which matters. As such, pressure injuries a/k/a “bedsores” can develop in any facility, including hospitals, and generally form on areas like the buttocks, back, elbows and heels.  Tragically, bedsores are a common injury among elderly residents in nursing homes or assisted living facilities. These wounds are very serious and can be life threatening.  When properly managed, most pressure injuries can be brought under control and healed. However, if not treated correctly, they can be life-threatening.

The typical causes of bedsores (a/k/a “pressure injuries” or “pressure ulcers”) include:

Bedsore staging:

The severity of a pressure wound is described by its “stage”.  The more serious the damage, and deeper the wound, the greater its stage.  Bedsores, a/k/a pressure injuries, are staged from I – IV, with stage I being the least severe and stage IV being the most severe.  The typical features of the various stages are as follows:

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