Pressure Ulcers, Bed Sores also known as Decubitus Ulcers Are Caused By Unrelieved Pressure

Written by Adam Peck Category: Bed Sores January 26th, 2013 1 min read

Pressure ulcers — better known as bedsores and decubitus ulcers — are lesions on the skin that are caused by unrelieved pressure resulting in tissue damage.

They usually develop over bony areas of the body, often in the lower limbs (ankles and hips are common), but they can occur almost anywhere (for example, in the nostrils of patients with feeding tubes, in the corners of the mouth in patients with endotracheal tubes, and between fingers in patients with rheumatoid arthritis).

Pressure ulcers are quite common in hospitals and other institutional settings. In acute care hospitals they occur in about 3-15 percent of patients; they occur in about a third of elderly patients who have had hip fractures; and the number rises to as much as 50 percent in critical care patients.

Ten to 35 percent of patients admitted to nursing homes have pressure ulcers, though this rate decreases somewhat for patients who have been there longer.

Because there are other reasons for skin breakdown, it is important to be examined and diagnosed by a doctor so that the appropriate treatment can be determined.

– from Steven Peck, Senior Attorney at Peck Law Group

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Written by Adam Peck

Expertise: Personal Injury

Adam J. Peck, ESQ is a principal with Peck Law Group, APC. In 2008, Mr. Adam Peck received his Juris Doctorate from Whittier Law School where he graduated Cum Laude. His practice is primarily dedicated to representing Elders, Dependent Adults, along with their loved ones and family members, who have suffered horrific personal injuries.