Study Shows New Protocol, Product Could Reduce Hospital-Acquired Bedsores by Nearly 70-Percent

Published on February 16, 2017

By simply searching “bedsores” in Google News, you will see that bedsores, also known as pressure ulcers, are a serious and life threatening problem in hospitals and nursing homes across the world. Sadly, no place is immune – America, Scotland, England, Australia, and India are just a few countries with news stories where medical malpractice and negligence caused bedsores, resulting in serious injury and in many cases, death for patients.

A recent study suggests a new protocol and new product may be able to reduce hospital-acquired bedsores by 69 percent. The product is Smith & Nephew’s Allevyn Life wound dressings; a multi-layered design that provides cushion and helps spread pressure. The contact layer has been found to cause minimal pain and discomfort on removal while allowing the dressing to be repositioned. You can learn more about the product here.

Mayo Clinic defines bedsores as “injuries to skin and underlying tissue resulting from prolonged pressure on the skin.” Three primary contributing factors to bedsores includes:

-Sustained pressure: Pressure ulcers tend to happen in areas that are more over a bone such as a spine, tailbone, shoulder blades, hips, heels and elbows. This is due to the fact that skin and tissue gets trapped between the bone and a surface such as a wheelchair or bed. When the pressure becomes greater than the pressure of the blood flowing in tiny vessels that deliver oxygen and other nutrients, the skin cells and tissue becomes damaged and may eventually die.

-Friction: When caretakers move patients and the skin is dragged across a surface, the friction makes fragile skin more vulnerable to injury. This is especially true when the skin is moist.

-Shear: This is when two surfaces move in the opposite direction. For instance, when a hospital bed is elevated at the head, you can slide down in bed. As the tailbone moves down, the skin over the bone may stay in place – pulling the skin in the opposite direction. This may injure tissue and blood vessels, making it more vulnerable to damage from sustained pressure.

Claims against nursing homes or hospitals for bed sore injuries can be remarkably complicated. Evidence of the improper care needs to be carefully assembled, and decisions have to be made about which people and which businesses should be held responsible and exactly what damages were suffered as a result of the improper care.

The Phoenix elder abuse attorneys at the law firm of Knapp & Roberts has been through these cases many times before and can help you make the right decisions in the shortest amount of time. We don’t charge for consultations or for handling the case unless we succeed in settling or winning in court. Call our Phoenix injury attorneys today at 480-991-7677 to tell us what happened in your case. We provide experience, compassion, integrity, and personal attention to every client and every case.