Saturday, January 10, 2009

How to Treat Bedsores

Step 1
Be sure not to massage any reddened areas of the skin, especially those over bony prominences.

Step 2
Keep all pressure off of the reddened or ulcerated area. The sore will not heal until all pressure is removed.

Step 3
Clean the bedsore, if it is ulcerated, with gauze soaked in sterile water or normal saline. Use a gentle cleansing solution to reduce tissue damage.

Step 4
Use betadine swabs (gauze pads soaked in betadine solution) to clean infected bedsores. Wear sterile gloves. Always clean the wound from the center and work out towards the edges. You want the germy debris to get dragged out and away from the ulcer.

Step 5
Obtain a culture, if the ulcer is infected, as ordered by your doctor. A culture will tell you what germ is growing inside the ulcer so that your doctor can prescribe the proper antibiotics.

Step 6
Talk to your doctor about debriding the ulcer. When you debride a wound, you remove the dead tissue, allowing the pink, healthy tissue to flourish.

Step 7
Apply an occlusive dressing over the bedsore, as ordered by your doctor. These dressings are usually clear, and protect the bedsore from worsening by allowing the migration of fresh skin cells.

Step 8
Consider surgery for bedsores that will not heal, including incision and drainage, skin flaps, skin grafts and bone resection.


Source: http://www.ehow.com/how_13175_treat-bedsores.html