Abstract
The routine hospital management of 100 consecutive elderly patients was studied to determine the reason for the high incidence of pressure sores among patients admitted to hospital for femoral fractures. Of these patients, 66 developed sores, 83% occurring by the fifth day in hospital. This was due to the long periods that patients were immobilised on high pressure surfaces in the casualty department, wards, and theatres before repair of the fracture and restoration of their weight bearing function. Sores are not simply a ward or nursing problem, but an unintended consequence of hospital treatment. To reduce the incidence of sores elderly patients should be treated on low pressure patient support systems from the point of entry to hospital until mobility is restored.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Brocklehurst J. C., Exton-Smith A. N., Lempert Barber S. M., Hunt L. P., Palmer M. K. Fracture of the femur in old age: A two-centre study of associated clinical factors and the cause of the fall. Age Ageing. 1978 Feb;7(1):2–15. doi: 10.1093/ageing/7.1.7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Campbell A. J. Femoral neck fractures in elderly women: a prospective study. Age Ageing. 1976 May;5(2):102–109. doi: 10.1093/ageing/5.2.102. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Redfern S. J., Jeneid P. A., Gillingham M. E., Lunn H. F. Local pressures with ten types of patient-support sytem. Lancet. 1973 Aug 11;2(7824):277–280. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(73)90787-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Versluysen M. Pressure sores in elderly patients. The epidemiology related to hip operations. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 1985 Jan;67(1):10–13. doi: 10.1302/0301-620X.67B1.3968129. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]