Spinal Cord Injury Victims are at Greater Risk of Bed Sores

About 11,000 people suffer spinal cord injuries every year in the USA, and more than 250,000 people are living with this type of injury.

More than one-third of people with spinal cord injuries develop bed sores, also known as pressure sores, pressure ulcers or decubitus ulcers. Complications from such bed sores kill 60,000 Americans a year. That’s twice the number who die from prostate cancer. About 8% of those with spinal cord injuries die from bed sores and pressure sores.

They can be caused by friction, when a paralyzed person slides down in bed, or when the body presses on a vulnerable area and cuts off the blood supply. Tissue can die within hours. If bacteria from infected bed sores spread to the blood, patients can develop an infection called sepsis, which can be fatal says California Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Lawyer Steven Peck.

About the Author

Attorney Steven Peck has been practicing law since 1981. A former successful business owner, Mr. Peck initially focused his legal career on business law. Within the first three years, after some colleagues and friend’s parents endured nursing home neglect and elder abuse, he continued his education to begin practicing elder law and nursing home abuse law.