Pressure Sores and Bed Sores in Nursing Homes

Michigan nursing home abuse and nursing home neglect lawyers often see medical malpractice cases arising from pressure sores and bed sores in nursing home patients. With proper care and monitoring, these sores should either be prevented or timely diagnosed so that prompt treatment can be administered. Medical malpractice cases against nursing care facilities arise when patients are not properly treated or when a delay in treatment causes the condition to be come much worse.

Pressure ulcers, also known as bed sores or pressure sores, often occur in persons who cannot move around easily. The skin and tissue underneath break down from continued pressure and poor circulation. When the skin breaks down, it becomes red. Open sores develop after the skin changes. In severe cases, the pressure ulcer causes destruction of muscle or even bone underneath the skin.

Pressure ulcers usually occur in persons who have predisposing risk factors, such as poor nutrition, continued moisture (especially from urine or feces), confinement to a bed or wheelchair, and other medical problems (especially spinal cord injury, hip fracture, or dementia). The most important step to prevent pressure sores is to avoid prolonged pressure on one part of your body, especially the pressure points mentioned previously.

The National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP) created a process for evaluating pressure sores based on a system that spans from Stage I (earliest signs) to Stage IV (most advanced):

· Stage I: A reddened area on the skin that when pressed is "non-blanchable" (does not turn white). This indicates that a pressure ulcer is starting to develop.

· Stage II: The skin blisters or forms an open sore. The area around the sore may be red and irritated.

· Stage III: The skin breakdown now looks like a crater, where there is damage to the tissue below the skin.

· Stage IV: The pressure ulcer has become so deep that there is damage to the muscle and bone, and sometimes tendons and joints.

In patients with significant predisposing factors, it is important to assess the patient’s risk for pressure sores and develop a prevention plan as soon as possible. The most widely used plan by medical providers for predicting a patient’s likelihood to develop pressure sores is the Braden Scale.

The Braden Scale considers various factors to determine the risk of a patient for bedsores. These include the patient's mobility, ability to sense pain, nutritional status, and mental status. Another big factor is whether the patient is continent or whether the patient has frequent moisture in the buttox areas.

Nursing homes can be negligent if they do not properly assess the patient for the likelihood of developing a bed sore, if they do not turn the patient on a regular schedule or do not bathe the patient on a regular schedule, and finally, if they do not properly treat the patient after the diagnosis of a pressure sore.

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