Find a Lawyer in Your State

Need Help?

Find a Lawyer Near You

Submit your Nursing Home Abuse claim details for a free, no obligation case review

Get Started:

Pressure Ulcers

Patients who develop pressure ulcers may view them merely as a nuisance, but they are serious and potentially deadly injuries to the body. Pressure ulcers, also known as bedsores or decubitus ulcers, occur when the skin is subjected to unrelieved pressure. Pressure ulcers can range from mild, with only a minor darkening of the skin, to severe, where a crater forms through skin, muscle and bone tissues. The formation of pressure ulcers is due to tissue death caused by the pressure on small blood vessels that cuts off the supply of oxygen and other nutrients.

Patients who are immobilized or confined to a bed, chair, or wheelchair for long periods of time can develop pressure ulcers, especially if they have lost their mobility. Other factors that increase the risk that an individual will develop pressure ulcers include lowered mental awareness, loss of bowel and bladder control, and poor nutrition. The greater the risk that a patient will develop pressure ulcers, the more the vigilance on the part of caregivers should increase-prevention of pressure ulcers is often easier than treating them after the fact.

Monitoring a patient for signs of pressure ulcers and preventing their development is a daily task. The skin should be inspected at least once a day for the reddening of the skin that indicates potential pressure ulcers, any soiled areas of the skin should be cleaned immediately, and surface moisture should be kept to a minimum, especially following baths or showers. Pressure ulcers can also be prevented through the use of good nutrition. Eating properly and staying hydrated provides nourishment for the skin tissues and improves circulation.

The risks associated with pressure ulcers include sepsis, a blood infection that is frequently lethal. For patients and their loved ones, the development of pressure ulcers may be an indication of substandard medical care. Even absent problems such as sepsis and gangrene, pressure ulcers are extremely painful and unsightly, and can cause deep scarring and permanent tissue damage. To learn more about pressure ulcers and your legal rights, you may wish to contact an attorney who has experience representing patients with pressure ulcers and their families.

Nursing Home Abuse Breaking News

"Kane Regional Center’s Glen Hazel Abuse Case"

Five former employees of a Pittsburgh nursing home facility, Kane Regional Center’s Glen Hazel, were recently arrested for abusing an elderly patient. The five individuals were all charged with » Read More

"Virgil Calvert Center Abuse Lawsuit"

A personal injury attorney in Illinois has filed a lawsuit against Virgil Calvert Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on behalf of a former resident, claiming she developed decubitus ulcers as a result of » Read More

"Caregiver arrested, and Suspected of More Abuse"

A former caregiver was arrested Oct. 2 following a nearly year-long investigation of the death of an 80-year old resident of a senior living facility in Calabasas. Cesar Ulloa is also suspected of abusing three other elderly residents of the home.

...

» Read More

Online Lawyer Source

Lawyers & Legal News Near You

Need Legal Help?

Start Here for a Free Case Review!

Nursing Home Abuse