Pressure Ulcer

A pressure ulcer (bed sore) is a skin wound that can occur when patients are bed-ridden even for a short period of time (such as while recovering from surgery). Pressure ulcers can lead to infection.

Care You Should Expect to Receive - High quality care following surgery should include treatments to identify and prevent bed sores.

When patients stay in one position too long without shifting their weight, constant pressure against the skin reduces blood supply to that area causing the skin to die. A pressure ulcer starts as reddened skin, but gets worse forming a blister that can lead to a large open sore.

Complications - Patients who develop pressure ulcers after surgery are at risk for complications such as:

• sepsis (an infection of the blood), which can lead to organ failure
• cellulitis, an infection of the skin’s connective tissue
• bone and joint infections
• death

How Will This Help Me? When patients receive high quality care, they are more likely to achieve a good medical outcome (result). This can lower a patient’s risk for complications.