A Resourceful Guide To Treating Bedsores

Bedsores, also called pressure or decubitus ulcers, are wounds on the skin that occur for several reasons. Bedsores tend to form on the skin with a bony area underneath it like the ankles, hips, buttocks, and back. This very treatable health problem tends to occur in individuals who spend a long time each day in a chair, wheelchair, or bed. Seniors and individuals who can’t move around by themselves very well are most likely to get bedsores, as well as individuals with delicate skin. Discolored skin, painful skin, and skin with an open wound are indications of this skin disorder. Reveal precisely how to treat bedsores now.

Repositioning

Preventing bedsores is the preferred situation, of course, but even when a less mobile individual has their position changed frequently, they may still develop them. If that happens, the patients in question, as well as their caregivers, need to increase the number of times they are repositioned. The number of times a patient must be moved depends significantly upon their health and the type of surface their skin is in contact with. Usually, patients in a bed with a good quality mattress need to be moved at least every two hours. They need repositioning even during the night and when they are sleeping. Individuals in a wheelchair need to move or be moved at least a little about every fifteen minutes. Also, using supportive surfaces under a patient can prevent bedsores and help them heal.

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Cleaning And Dressing Wounds

Individuals who have bedsores, or non-medical caregivers of these individuals, should consult with a doctor for detailed and specific advice for the case at hand. Depending on the stage of the lesion, the wounds may need to be both cleaned and dressed. For general purposes, cleaning and dressing wounds remains a straightforward process, however. Individuals dealing with unbroken skin should wash the area with a gentle cleanser and pat the area dry. Open sores should be flushed gently with a saline solution every time old bandages are replaced with sterile new ones. Bandages protect broken skin from becoming infected. Individuals can use many different types of dressings like foam, treated coverings, gauze, and film, or a combination thereof to protect the injured area.

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Remove Damaged Tissue

In many cases, bedsores need to have dead, infected, and damaged skin removed from the area. Typically, damaged tissue must be cut in some fashion to remove it from a bedsore, which is a process known as debridement. Individuals can gently flush the area with water. Using salt water can be particularly helpful. Also, they can cut out sloughing or dead skin to remove damaged tissue. Individuals should ensure the area doesn’t hurt when the skin is removed. Also, sterilized equipment should be used when removing dead skin. The area must be clean before it's wrapped to shelter newly developing skin and prevent further pressure damage.

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Negative Pressure Therapy

Vacuum-assisted closure or negative pressure therapy uses suction to clean any wound and remains a common form of treatment for bedsores. In this treatment, a vacuum dressing is used to aid and enhance the healing of a wound like a bedsore. Negative pressure therapy involves the placement of a wound dressing that is sealed and used for bedsores, burns, and acute and chronic wounds of other types. The vacuum increases blood flow to the affected area and keeps excess moisture from staying in the wound. Negative therapy may be placed continuously or only occasionally and can be used for a couple of days or much longer. The foam dressing removes sloughing skin, dead skin, blood clots, and other unwanted substances from staying on the wound. Plus, this type of pressure therapy can be done at a person’s residence with the aid of a trained professional.

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Medication

Treating infected bed sores may include anti-inflammatory medication that can be bought over-the-counter, such as ibuprofen and naproxen. When using these treatments for bedsore pain, patients should get them before any wound care treatment or repositioning to keep pain levels under control. If the wound in question has pus or discharge, patients may also need antibiotics to promote healing. Topical antibiotics are placed around and in the skin of the wound, and oral antibiotics may be prescribed to help the individual fight infections from the inside out. Following these suggestions as well as consulting with a health care provider can help patients heal from a bedsore without further issues.