Nursing home patients spend a good deal of their time in their bed. This lack of movement puts them at greater risk for developing pressure sores. If these sores are not recognized and treatment is not immediately started, pressure sores can quickly become serious infections which can become fatal.
According the Centers for Disease Control, one in ten nursing home patients will suffer from pressure sores, with stage 2 sores being the most common. Pressure sores are a sign of neglect and unfortunately, because of lack of training and low staff numbers, nursing home personnel may overlook this serious issue. However, it is the responsibility of nursing home personnel to identify those patients most at-risk for developing pressure sores, take all necessary steps to prevent them from developing, and also to have a treatment plan in place in the event that pressure sores should develop.
If pressure sores are not properly treated, complications can begin to arise. These types of complications can be fatal and include:
- Necrotizing fasciitis-Necrotizing fasciitis develops when bacteria enters an open wound. These bacteria will then begin to attack the tissues surrounding the pressure sore and quickly begin to destroy muscle tissues. Patients with necrotizing fasciitis will die within 24 hours if left untreated.
- Bone infections-When a pressure sore is left untreated, the infection can spread to the bones. Bone infections are dangerous and can be difficult to treat, often resulting in amputation.
- Amputation-Amputation of a limb occurs when pressure sores are left untreated and infection has spread to the bone. Amputations are dangerous on their own and also have an increased of bacterial infection and sepsis.
- Gangrene-Gangrene, or myonecrosis, is a rapidly spreading infection that can destroy healthy tissue within minutes. The bacteria released with this condition often leads to organ failure and death.
To prevent these deadly conditions, it is important that nursing homes follow strict protocol and begin treatment immediately if pressure sores should develop.
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