What is Pressure sores?

Pressure sores

What is a pressure sore?

Pressure sores are areas of damaged or broken skin. Sick people who sit or lie in one position for too long can get them quite quickly. Without treatment, they can become deep wounds that take a very long time to heal.

When you sit or lie down you naturally shift your position from time to time, even when you're asleep.

People who sit or lie in one position for a long time can get pressure sores.

But if you can't move yourself because you are too ill or weak, or even unconscious, you could get a pressure sore.

Pressure sores are sometimes called pressure ulcers or bedsores.

Experts think pressure sores start when:

Source:
Niezgoda J.
The effective management of pressure ulcers.
Advances in Skin and Wound Care. 2006; 19 (supplement 1): 3-15.

Source:
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
The management of pressure ulcers in primary and secondary care: a clinical practice guideline.
September 2005. NICE clinical guideline 29. Available at http://www.nice.org.uk/cg029 (accessed on 4 May 2009).

The weight of your body presses down on the skin underneath. This pressure stops your blood from circulating properly through the skin, so the skin doesn't get enough oxygen or nutrients. If you don't shift your position, the skin cells die and the skin breaks down.
The layers of your skin slide over each other as you slip down or are pulled up in bed. This is called shearing.
Your skin is dragged across the mattress or seat as someone moves you. This is called friction.

Pressure, shearing and friction all damage your skin and increase the chance of a pressure sore. Areas of skin over the bony parts of your body are most at risk.

Source:
Torpy JM, Lynm C, Glass RM.
Pressure ulcers.
Journal of the American Medical Association. 2003; 289: 254.

Anyone who has difficulty moving can get a pressure sore. But you are more likely to get one if you:

Source:
Grey JE, Harding K, Enoch S.
ABC of Wound Healing: Pressure ulcers.
BMJ. 2006; 332: 472-475.

⁴

Source:
Allman RM.
Pressure ulcer prevalence, incidence, risk factors, and impact.
Clinical Geriatric Medicine. 1997; 13: 421-436.

⁵

Source:
Reed RL, Hepburn K, Adelson R, et al.
Low serum albumin levels, confusion and faecal incontinence: are these risk factors for pressure ulcers in mobility-impaired hospitalised adults?
Gerontology. 2003; 49: 255-259.

⁶

Are very old or very young
Are seriously ill, drowsy or unconscious
Have had surgery
Leak urine or feces
Have a serious injury, such as a broken hip
Are very overweight (obese)
Don't eat or drink enough
Have poor circulation, perhaps because you smoke
Have had a pressure sore before
Can't feel pain. This can happen if your spinal cord is injured, or if

diabetes
Diabetes is a condition that causes too much sugar to circulate in your blood. It happens when your body stops making a hormone called insulin (type 1 diabetes) or when insulin stops working (type 2 diabetes).

diabetes has damaged your nerves.

Sources for the information on this page:

Niezgoda J.The effective management of pressure ulcers.Advances in Skin and Wound Care. 2006; 19 (supplement 1): 3-15.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.The management of pressure ulcers in primary and secondary care: a clinical practice guideline.September 2005. NICE clinical guideline 29. Available at http://www.nice.org.uk/cg029 (accessed on 4 May 2009).

Torpy JM, Lynm C, Glass RM.Pressure ulcers.Journal of the American Medical Association. 2003; 289: 254.

Grey JE, Harding K, Enoch S.ABC of Wound Healing: Pressure ulcers.BMJ. 2006; 332: 472-475.

Allman RM.Pressure ulcer prevalence, incidence, risk factors, and impact.Clinical Geriatric Medicine. 1997; 13: 421-436.

Reed RL, Hepburn K, Adelson R, et al.Low serum albumin levels, confusion and faecal incontinence: are these risk factors for pressure ulcers in mobility-impaired hospitalised adults?Gerontology. 2003; 49: 255-259.

This information was last updated on May 08, 2009

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment.
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