Home tips for preventing pressure ulcers

In the cold winter and affected by the epidemic, the elderly began to go out less and spend more time at home. It can be seen that more and more people are bedridden at home for a long time. To avoid the occurrence of pressure sores caused by long-term bed rest, how should we prevent them? Here are some tips on how to prevent pressure sores at home.

First, understand what is a pressure sore.

Pressure sores are also known as pressure injuries. Because the skin is squeezed and rubbed for a long time, the local blood flow is obstructed, causing ischemia and hypoxic damage to the local tissue. Once a pressure sore occurs, it will not only increase the pain of the patient but also easily lead to infection and delay the recovery process. Such as persistent ischemia, hypoxia, and malnutrition can also cause tissue ulceration and necrosis. According to research, the prevalence of pressure sores among patients in long-term care institutions in different countries is 3.4-32.4%, indicating that pressure sores are a common problem, but there are large differences between countries, and some countries do not have accurate statistics. But what is certain is that pressure ulcers are a major social problem in an aging society.

prevention:

1. Assess the patient's physical condition and skin condition:

 It can help caregivers and patients understand the physical condition in order to prevent risks other than pressure sores.

2. Decompression:

Change positions:

Regularly change the position of the bedridden person, usually, every two to four hours, especially for those who have sequelae of cerebrovascular disease and cannot turn over independently or those who have sensory impairment due to illness, the interval between turning over should be shortened, and at the same time, avoid dragging, pulling, Pulling and other situations, because various positions will have a certain oppressive effect on the body, so it is necessary to understand the patient's physical condition first. Commonly used lying positions include the supine position, prone position, side-lying position, semi-sitting position (with a support on the back), sitting, etc., because the prone position is easy to cause suffocation, so it is not recommended to take this position at home. It is recommended to raise the head of the bed when taking the supine or side-lying position, which can effectively reduce the occurrence of aspiration and lung infection, but the raising range should not exceed 30 degrees to avoid shear force; when taking the side-lying position, it is recommended It is advisable to lie on the side at 30 degrees (the angle between the body and the bed) and avoid lying on the side at 90 degrees because the side lying at 90 degrees will greatly increase the probability of pressure sores caused by direct pressure on the bony protrusions of the hip joints; If possible, it is best to take a semi-recumbent or sitting position when eating, which is conducive to swallowing and can effectively reduce the occurrence of aspiration, but try not to take a semi-recumbent position for more than 1 hour to avoid shearing force.

Use functional dressings:

Silicone Foam Dressing is recommended. The surface layer of the dressing has a porous structure, low surface tension, no adhesion to the wound, good air permeability, elasticity, softness, strong plasticity, and lightweight, and stable physical and chemical properties. The gas exchange is beneficial to protect the skin, and it will not bring pain to the patient when changing the dressing, and the operation is simple and convenient. If the skin is ulcerated in stages 2-3 of pressure sore, Silicone Foam Dressing also has the effect of absorbing fluid and exudating. This process can improve microcirculation and facilitate the development of granulation tissue. This process prevents inflammation. Due to the relatively simple dressing changes of this excipient, the costs of patient visits are significantly reduced.

Cleaning:

Do a good job of nursing incontinence of urine and urine to prevent the occurrence of incontinence dermatitis. For those with incontinence, it is necessary to clean up the urine, urine, and dirt in time, and carefully take care of the local skin. After each urine and urine, clean the perineum with warm water and dry it with a pure cotton cloth to avoid moisture.

Strengthen nutrition:

strengthen nutrition to ensure comprehensive and balanced nutrition. Since long-term bedridden patients are mostly elderly or unable to take care of themselves due to illness, their chewing, swallowing, digestion, and absorption functions are often poor, so the diet should be light and easy to digest, with small meals often, and slow eating to prevent aspiration. In order to enhance the patient's body resistance and tolerance, patients can be encouraged to eat more protein-rich foods, such as eggs, fish and shrimp, poultry, milk, dried almonds, soybeans, soybean products, etc.;

Note:

Massage is absolutely contraindicated, especially in acute inflammatory phases, vascular damage, or fragile skin. Prevention of pressure ulcers is better than treatment. Don't keep the skin under pressure in the area of redness. Redness means that the skin has not recovered from the previous damage and needs further rest.

For more information on Innomed® Silicone Foam Dressing, refer to the previous articles. If you have customized needs, you are welcome to contact us; we will serve you wholeheartedly. At Longterm Medical, we transform this data by innovating and developing products that make life easier for those who need loving care.

Editor: kiki Jia

Date: February 2, 2023