Abstract
Nearly all elderly patients who develop pressure sores are multiply ill, severely disabled people, in acute care hospitals or living in extended care (skilled nursing) facilities. The breakdown of skin and destruction of its supporting tissue seen in pressure sores is organ system failure: skin failure. Specifically, pressure sores are infarcts of skin, the result of inadequate nutrient and oxygen supply. Their causes are numerous, but the final common pathway is mechanical compression of capillaries, with resulting tissue ischemia and necrosis.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1991 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Sloan, J.P. (1991). Pressure Sores. In: Protocols in Primary Care Geriatrics. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-0388-6_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-0388-6_11
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-97395-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-0388-6
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive