What is a pressure ulcer?
A pressure ulcer is defined as a “lesion caused by unrelieved pressure that results in damage to underlying tissue” (US Department of Health and Human Services, 1992) and the formation of an ulcer is a complex mixture of intrinsic and extrinsic variables. Therefore, immobility is the true cause of pressure ulcers but other factors (figure 1) contribute to the speed or intensity of damage that is caused through the immobility.
Related Questions
- When Smith & Nephew recommend Flamazine* for the short-term treatment of infection inleg ulcer and pressure ulcer patients, how long is short term?
- What is the difference between pressure ulcer prevalence studies and pressure ulcer incidence studies?
- What additional resources are available to identify best practices for pressure ulcer prevention?
