The Epidemiology of Pressure Sores

Petersen, Nora; Bittmann, Sven

doi:10.3109/02844317109042939

Cited by 117 publications

(23 citation statements)

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“…Fifty percent of patients with decubital ulcers are over 70 years old (1), Infectious complications of decubital ulcers frequently occur (2). Open wounds are contaminated with microorganisms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidermal Langerhans' Cells in Elderly Patients with Decubital Ulcers

Kohn

Schiller

1990

The Journal of Dermatology

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Langerhans' cells in the sacral epidermis 8-10 cm from the lesion of elderly patients (mean age 74 years) with decubital ulcers were studied ultrastructurally and compared with the patients' own normal epidermis from the upper leg, with age-matched normal controls, and with young normal controls (mean age 43 years). High percentages of Langerhans' cells (ranging between 30 and 50%) without dendrites were found in patient epidermis from the sacral region near the lesion and similar percentages in normal skin from the patients' upper leg. In both elderly and young controls, Langerhans' cells without dendrites found in the epidermis of the upper leg were fewer, ranging between 13 and 33%. The density of Langerhans' cells in adjacent sites of the same epidermis was non-homogeneous, being in the range of 0.56-1.19% in patient sacral epidermis, 0.69-1.31% in patient normal leg epidermis, 0.63-4.17% in leg epidermis of the elderly controls, and 0.63-3.94% in leg epidermis of the young controls. The majority of the Langerhans' cells in both patients and controls were located near the basal cell layer and in the mid-epidermis. The percentage of Langerhans' cells found in patient sacral epidermis (0.84 +/- 0.08%) and in their leg epidermis (0.87 +/- 0.15%) was significantly lower than in the elderly controls (1.91 +/- 0.30%) and young controls (1.84 +/- 0.24%). The low percentage of Langerhans' cells in the epidermis of patients with decubital ulcers may affect the healing process of the lesions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidermal Langerhans' Cells in Elderly Patients with Decubital Ulcers

Kohn

Schiller

1990

The Journal of Dermatology

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“…About two-thirds of all pressure sores occur around the hips and buttocks (Petersen and Bittmann, 1971), where the majority of body load is carried by a patient in a bed or a chair. Another common site of ulceration is the heel of the foot, where high stresses and large stress gradients occur due to the size and shape of the contact area.…”

Section: Bed Soresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1) involving both the skin and the deeper tissues of the body may follow a superficial sore or may become established in the deeper tissues before the skin is broken. This type of ulcer, healing in not less than two months and sometimes persisting for years (Cress and Buzza, 1968;Petersen and Bittmann, 1971) arises from hypoxic necrosis of tissues caught between bed and bone whose blood supply has been impaired by prolonged, large or highly localized stress.…”

Section: Bed Soresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flat Circular Punch Testing of Clinical Support Surfaces

Small

1980

Engineering in Medicine

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“…A study of the population of a county in Denmark found a prevalence of 0.04%, 5 and an American study of elderly patients seen in general practice found a prevalence of 0.31-0.7%. A study of the population of a county in Denmark found a prevalence of 0.04%, 5 and an American study of elderly patients seen in general practice found a prevalence of 0.31-0.7%.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…5 As such, the prevalence of pressure sores in a given hospital or institution is significantly influenced by the characteristics of the patient population serviced by that facility than any difference in quality of care or pressure sore prevention strategies. As noted above, it has long been recognized that pressure sores are more common among certain patient populations, such as the elderly, among patients with spinal cord injuries, and among patients with sensory impairment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%