Bedsores: How To Care For And Protect Against Them?

Proper care for pressure ulcers is extremely important. They arise mainly from carelessness in caring for a person who has to remain motionless for a long time. Pressure ulcers are injuries that can be avoided and the complications that can arise from them if proper preventive measures are taken.

Bedsores care plays a key role. These wounds occur as a result of staying in the same position for a long time where a part of the body is pressed against something hard. Pressure ulcers often occur in people who lie in bed for a long time, although they can also occur in those who stay in one position for too long.

Pay attention to the fact that you can prevent pressure ulcers from developing as long as you follow the basic care rules and be careful about what is happening. In several parts of the world, the appearance of such injuries can have legal ramifications for the caregiver.

Pressure ulcers can lead to numerous complications which, in the most serious cases, can be life-threatening. Such injuries occur frequently in women, but are most common in people between the ages of 71 and 90.

Bedsores: description and methods of care

This condition is one type of necrosis, which is the dying away of tissues that affect the skin and subcutaneous tissue. They appear when any part of the skin is pressed on both sides. Typically, a person’s bones are on one side and a hard surface such as a bed or chair on the other.

This constant pressure reduces the supply of oxygen and nutrients to pressure skin. This is because the blood vessels are compressed. Because of this, the skin does not receive enough oxygen and nutrients and the tissue dies. As a consequence, pressure ulcers usually develop.

As we mentioned earlier, such lesions mainly appear in people who remain immobilized for a long time or who have difficulty healing wounds. Ulcers have a significant impact on a patient’s quality of life and require specialist care.

Causes and types of ulcers

Pressure ulcers occur mainly due to a lack of proper care and measures to avoid them. Appropriate precautions should be taken to prevent the occurrence of such changes in a person who for some reason must remain immobile for a long time.

There are four types of pressure ulcer and their classification depends on their appearance and depth:

• 1st degree. They appear about two hours after starting pressure. This is a type of erythema (reddening of the skin) that does not always disappear.

• 2nd degree. They touch both the dermis and the epidermis, and look like a blister or abrasion.
• 3rd degree. Such pressure ulcers include the dermis, epidermis and subcutaneous tissue. When infection occurs, drainage of serous purulent fluid occurs.
• 4th degree. They include muscles, bones, cartilage and guts, and dead tissue is often visible to the naked eye.

Bedsores care

To avoid pressure ulcers, the first thing you should do is check your skin frequently, at least once a day. Know what is happening in each area of ​​the skin where redness or erythema appears. Typical pressure areas are on the back, buttocks, heels, back of the head and elbows.

Always clean the leather with a soft sponge or clean cloth and dry it thoroughly. Clean any area that is dirty. Also, make sure you use soaps that do not irritate the skin and warm water. Don’t use alcohol.

You need to apply moisturizing creams regularly and wait for the skin to absorb. In addition, use bedding made of natural materials and dry and clean clothes. In addition, use padded or protective dressings on all areas that are under pressure.

Additional advice on caring for pressure ulcers

Proper care for pressure ulcers is important for someone who has to lie down for long periods and rely on others to move them around. You have to move it every 12 to 30 minutes if it is sitting.

It is very important to avoid rubbing against each other protruding bones – knees, ankles, etc. Use a pillow or other protection around these areas or to prevent them from touching each other. Do not drag the person to move it.

Remember to avoid wetness, so clean your skin right away if you develop sweat, urine, feces, or suppuration. Then dry it by applying a cloth to it, but not rubbing the skin. Also, use diapers, catheters, or urine collectors if you are incontinent.