About the disease

Bedsores is a condition, also known as a pressure ulcer. It is a skin lesion, which becomes inflamed because of a number of factors. The most common factor which contributes to the development of bedsores is friction caused by a long-term immobility of a person. Paralysis, injuries, which require constant bed rest and old age can contribute to the development of bedsores.The part of body which is affected by these conditions is always unpredictable, as bedsores can appear on the arms, legs, buttocks, or belly. Knees and elbows, nonetheless, are the most affected parts of the body. Although bedsores are treatable, they can cause serious complications if left unnoticed. In some cases they can be fatal. The biggest complication is the sustained blood circulation to the affected parts of the body, where bedsore appear. In case a part of the body does not receive necessary amount of a blood flow, it becomes in danger of necrosis, which is a death of a tissue. Another danger is an infection which a person can easily contract through the bed sore.

According to an American site Medical News Today, on average 5% develops bed sore during their stay in the hospital, if it lasts several weeks. The main danger of bedsores is that they rarely cause any pain to a patient, because they have reduced sensation. In such case, a nurse or a doctor needs to regularly examine patient's skin for the signs of possible bedsores. 

Symptoms

• Sores on the skin, which do not heal
• Weight loss
• Incontinence
• Reduced sensation

Diagnosis

During general examination, doctor will examine patient's skin. Sores are usually easy to identify and they have very pronounced appearance which rarely leaves any doubts in diagnosis. 

Blood tests and urinalysis are in some cases ordered to rule out the possibility of an infection and to determine if bedsores caused development of any infectious process in the body.  

Treatment

Conservative treatment includes prescription of special oral antibiotics, which would prevent development of infection in the blood, dressing of the wound, constant repositioning of the patient and debridement of the tissue if it is dead and needs to be removed immediately. It usually takes some time to completely heal the bed sore and prevent appearance of new sores. Special mattress and bed may also be used to always keep a patient in the right position and to prevent infection.

Plastic skin repair is a surgery used to clean the wound, where the sore is, prevent infection and then use a flap reconstruction by covering the wound with a tissue taken from another part of the body. Such plastic repair is also used to improve the appearance of the sore.

Authors: Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova, Dr. Sergey Pashchenko