Pressure ulcers, also known as bed sores, pressure sores, or decubitus ulcers, are wounds caused by unrelieved pressure on the skin. They usually develop over bony prominences, such as the elbow, heel, hip, shoulder, back, and back of the head. Pressure ulcers are serious medical conditions and one of the important measures of the quality of clinical care in nursing homes.
From about 2% to 28% of nursing home residents have pressure ulcers. The most common system for staging pressure ulcers classifies them based on the depth of soft tissue damage, ranging from the least severe (stage 1) to the most severe (stage 4). There is persistent redness of skin in stage 1; a loss of partial thickness of skin appearing as an abrasion, blister, or shallow crater in stage 2; a loss of full thickness of skin, presented as a deep crater in stage 3; and a loss of full thickness of skin exposing muscle or bone in stage 4. Clinical practice guidelines for pressure ulcers have been developed and provide specific treatment recommendations for stage 2 or higher pressure ulcers, including proper wound care.
Of the 1.5 million U.S. nursing home residents in 2004, about 159,000 (11%) had pressure ulcers of any stage. Stage 2 was the most common (5%), accounting for about 50% of all pressure ulcers. Stages 1, 3, and 4 made up about the other 50% of all ulcers. Residents aged 64 years and under were more likely than older residents to have pressure ulcers (14% and 10%, respectively). Pressure ulcers were more common in males (13%) than in females (10%). Residents in nursing homes for 1 year or less (16%) were more likely to have pressure ulcers than those with a longer length of stay (7%). There was no significant difference between white and nonwhite populations with respect to having pressure ulcers.
Among nursing home residents, those with a recent weight loss (20%) were more likely to have pressure ulcers than those who had not had a recent weight loss (10%). Nursing home residents who had high immobility (16%) had an 11% greater occurrence of pressure ulcers than those without high immobility (5%). Polypharmacy, or taking more than eight medications, was related to a greater prevalence of pressure ulcers (13% and 9%, respectively). Pressure ulcers were more prevalent (12%) among residents who had any recent bowel or bladder incontinence than among continent residents (7%).
Among residents with stage 2 or higher pressure ulcers, 35% received wound care by specially trained professionals or staff. The percentage receiving special wound care was slightly higher for those with stage 4 (40%) than those with stage 2 (33%) or stage 3 (37%); however, these differences were not statistically significant.
If you or a loved one may have been injured as a result of medical malpractice in a nursing home in the United States due to nursing home pressure ulcer (nursing home bed sore) negligence, a nursing home infection, nursing home fall, nursing home aspiration, nursing home neglect, nursing home negligence, nursing home abuse, nursing home understaffing, or the nursing home otherwise failing to properly care for a vulnerable adult, you should promptly find a medical malpractice lawyer in your state who may investigate your nursing home medical malpractice claim for you and represent you or your loved one in a nursing home medical malpractice case, if appropriate.
Click here to visit our website or call us toll-free in the United States at 800-295-3959 to find medical malpractice attorneys in your state who may assist you with your nursing home claim.
Turn to us when you don’t know where to turn.