Skin stiffness determined from occlusion of a horizontally running microvessel in response to skin surface pressure: a finite element study of sacral pressure ulcers

Abstract

Pressure ulcers occur following sustained occlusion of microvessels at bony prominences under skin surface pressure (SSP). However, the mechanical conditions of the surrounding soft tissue leading to microvascular occlusion are not fully understood. This study determined the stiffness of homogenized skin with microvasculature at the sacrum that occludes microvessels at an SSP of 10 kPa (consistent with a standard mattress) and recovers from occlusion at 5 kPa (consistent with a pressure-redistribution mattress). We conducted two-dimensional finite element analyses under plane stress and plane strain conditions to determine the stiffness of the skin. The results for plane stress conditions show that the microvessel was occluded with a Young's modulus of 23 kPa in response to an SSP of 10 kPa at the center of the sacrum and that the circulation recovered following a reduction in the SSP to 5 kPa. The resulting Young's modulus is consistent with reported data. Our study indicates that the critical value of the SSP for microvascular occlusion is determined not only by the stiffness of homogenized skin with microvasculature but also by the intraluminal pressure, microvascular wall stiffness, and body support conditions.

Critical Care Nurses’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceived Barriers towards Pressure Injuries Prevention

“…Pressure injuries (PI) may be defined as "ischemic soft tissue injuries resulting from pressure, usually over bony prominences (e.g., sacrum, calcaneus, and ischium)" (Yamada, Inoue, Shimokawa& Sakata, 2017). Pressure injuries (PI) can also be a consequence of badly fitting appliances or casts.…”

“…Pressure injuries (PI) can also be a consequence of badly fitting appliances or casts. Soft tissues are more vulnerable to injury than the skin; consequently, the external appearance of PI may undervalue the extent of the injury (Yamada et al, 2017).…”

Medical Sports Data Privacy Protection Method Based on Legal Risk Control

“…The essence of BD is massive data, but it is not the only feature of BD. The BD technology of medical and sports industry is based on the traditional data accumulation and existing medical sports technology, combined with some new data analysis technology and high-speed communication technology [ 8 , 9 ]. With BD and mobile Internet technology and the popularity of related medical and sports wearable devices, ordinary people can wear medical and sports equipment in daily life or collect a large number of physical signs and related user information through other near-field biological sign sensors.…”

Shape Optimization of Costal Cartilage Framework Fabrication Based on Finite Element Analysis for Reducing Incidence of Auricular Reconstruction Complications

“…Clinical investigation of auricular reconstruction confirmed the same opinion that negative pressure suction underneath the skin altered the tensile deformation, the pressure in the suture zone, and the osculatory friction of the skin ( Bonilla, 2018 ; Yamada, 2018 ). All these variations result in a reduction in healing time and harmful skin-related biomechanical consequences such as dehiscence, granulation ( Wilkes et al, 2012 ), ischemia ( Huang et al, 2019 ), and even ulceration ( Yamada et al, 2017 ). However, the mechanical interaction between the skin and framework during the auricular reconstruction for lower complications and better clinical performance remains unclear.…”