Bed Sores

Bed sores, also known as pressure wounds or ulcers, are caused by constant pressure or friction on skin, especially in bony areas that normally have limited circulation.

Wounds develop in four stages, with the worst causing deep damage into the muscle and bone as skin and tissue cells die from restricted blood supply. Areas of the body where moisture can be trapped are also ripe for pressure wounds to erupt.

Particularly vulnerable are bed-ridden patients or patients with conditions that hinder proper blood flow, including diabetes, terminal cancer and vascular disease, and any patient aged 65 and older.

Only bed sores that cause an open wound—or ulcer—are reported to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In 2007 alone, 257,412 cases of these preventable pressure ulcers were reported. The average healthcare cost to treat each bed sore/ulcer is about $43,180, but a staggering 60,000 patients end up dying from complications from these wounds each and every year.

The most heartbreaking statistic, though, is that 95% of pressure wounds can be prevented. Thousands of lives could be saved every year just by following these simple prevention steps.

You can also visit the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel for more information about pressure wounds.

• What’s the Harm in Health Care?

  One-third of all hospital patients are harmed or killed by accident every year in American hospitals -- about 13 million patients.

  
  Preventable hospital accidents claim almost 300,000 lives -- equal to 3 jets crashing every single day of the year in America, with no survivors.

  
  Most of these deaths and injury are among older patients, and most result from a strained health care system seriously short on nurses and other critical resources.
  

• Our Solution

  CampaignZERO offers simple explanations about how common hospital hazards occur and easy checklists to help families safeguard their loved ones' care in the hospital.

• Why Checklists for Families?

  Every patient needs a family member or friend with them in the hospital -- yet few of us are prepared for this important role.

  
  Our simple little checklists can be a big help.

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