The causes and prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers

Pressure ulcers, is a superficial damage to the skin and underlying tissues caused by pressure and shear force that is a nursing diagnosis and need important nursing care. This complication in addition to delaying the recovery, imposed high costs on patients and their families. This study aimed to identify the causes and means of prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers.

The present article is a review article in which a total of 30 articles by searching the database as Elsevier, Google scholar, SID, Pub med and Magiran for 2005 to 2014 have been developed.

The most important predictors of pressure ulcer development, including motility (immobilization), longer hospital stay, higher incidence of pressure ulcers based on the Braden Scale, the tissue perfusion (diabetes, vascular disease, blood flow, blood pressure, smoking and edema), the pressure on the skin and tissue, are older age and low albumin. In relation to the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers can be said that the first step is recognizing the risk factors. Nutritional interventions, dressings maintain tissue heat, electrical stimulation method, using platelet-rich plasma, honey dressing and hydrocolloid dressings, intravenous Anzhypars, aloe Vera gel and topical high pressure oxygen is also effective for treating patients with pressure ulcers.

Overall, it isn’t any single factor as a risk factor for pressure ulcer, and the complex of different factors increase the risk of ulcers. For the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers first step is to recognize the risk factors and using in terms of new therapeutic approaches. In general, it is recommended to predict and treat pressure ulcers, health care providers make decision and act based on patients clinical condition.